Racketmen Win Ivy Title By Trouncing Tigers, 6-3

Harvard's squash team cinched the Ivy League title and revenged last year's only loss by beating the Tigers, 6-3, in Princeton yesterday -- but it probably didn't do well enough to take its sixth straight national championship.

All that Crimson racquetmen can do now is cross their fingers and root for Army to score at least four points against Navy in Annapolis this Saturday. The national championship, which is determined by composite scores, is down to Harvard and Navy -- and the Midshipmen look like the best bet. They are heavily favored to beat the Cadets.

Harvard remains undefeated in Ivy squash this season, and with only the Yale match remaining, it has cinched its eighth first-place finish in the last nine years. Yesterday's victory over Princeton also revenges the 5-4 loss to the Tigers last season, which spoiled the Crimson's perfect season and forced it to share the Ivy title with Penn.

The middle of Harvard's lineup -- Matt Hall, Gordie Black and Yoshi Akabane -- all dropped matches. Number-four man Hall, won his first game, 15-9, and then folded, losing 14-15, 10-15, and 14-16. Black bowed, 10-15, 17-18, 15-6 and 10-15, while Akabane was shutout, 13-18, 14-15 and 14-15.

The top and bottom men in the Crimson lineup breezed past their Tiger foes. Number-one man Anil Nayar romped to three quick victories, 15-7, 15-8, 15-7. Jose Gonzalez and captain Craig Stapleton both slacked off after two easy wins and needed a fourth game to subue their Princeton opponents: Gonzales won 15-5, 15-7, 14-17 and 15-12, and Stapleton 15-8, 15-10, 12-15, and 15-12.

Number-seven man Mike Scheinmann took five games to win his match 18-17, 15-12, 15-16, 14-15 and 15-10. John Harwood won 15-8, 15-11 and 15-8, while sophomore Frank Hobbs, playing for the injured Rick Sterne, won handily 15-12, 15-11, 15-12.