Briggs Whips Foes for Squash Title

Peter Briggs and the rest of the Harvard squash team approached perfection in the intercollegiate championships at Army yesterday. Briggs dropped only one game in six matches to take the "A" division individual title, and the Crimson squad came within two points of a perfect team record.

In the "B" division, junior Andy Weigand took the championship in four games, while Alan Quasha topped teammate Neil Vosters for the "C" division crown.

Briggs's performance, however, was the Crimson's most outstanding showing. The Harvard junior did not lose a game in the first five rounds. In the semifinals, Briggs crushed the defending intercollegiate champion, Palmer Page, 15-10, 15-10, 15-7, to revenge a five game loss last weekend.

In the championship match with William's Ty Griffin, Briggs suffered his only game setback. He won in four games, 15-9, 15-10, 10-15, 15-10, to achieve the highest honor in collegiate ranks.

Captain Dave Fish came within one game of the "A" division championship round. Fish upset third-seeded Gordon Perry of Navy in the quarterfinals, 15-13, 15-7, 15-12, but lost to Griffin in a five game semifinal. Fish, unseeded, lost to second-seeded Griffin, 12-15, 15-3, 12-15, 15-4, 15-9.

Weigand ran into troubles in the quarterfinals and semifinals, but he easily defeated unseeded Joh Edwards of Franklin and Marshall in the final match, 11-15, 15-7, 15-6, 15-8. On Saturday, Weigand topped Princeton's Bruce Merrifield, 15-11, 11-15, 15-9, 15-9. But in the semifinals Weigand needed five games to stop Penn's Denis Nayak, 15-10, 15-8, 12-15, 9-15, 15-12.

Junior Dan Gordon won his quarterfinal match against Penn's Charlie Jacobs, 15-8, 15-9, 15-8, but he was surprised in the semifinals by unseeded Edwards in a five-game battle, 15-11, 13-15, 8-15, 15-10, 15-13.

Quasha did not drop a game in advancing through Saturday's preliminary rounds. The Harvard senior first defeated Army's Ivar Kaardal, 15-9, 15-7, 15-5, and then finished off Penn's Dave Lott in the semifinals, 15-9, 15-5, 15-10. In the championship match, Quasha downed Vosters in three straight, 15-14, 17-14, 15-10.

Vosters defeated two seeded players to advance to the final round. In the quarterfinals the Crimson junior dropped Penn's Dan Roblin, 12-15, 10-15, 17-15, 15-4, 15-5. Vosters survived another five game thriller in the semifinal with Navy's second-seeded, Herb Stockton, 12-15, 15-5, 8-15, 15-12, 15-13.

Harvard earned the team title for itself by knocking out five Penn players and four Navy entries in head-to-head competition. Overall, the Crimson compiled 37 of a possible 39 points. Penn finished a distant second with 26 1/2, and Navy placed third with 21 1/2.