Racquetmen Look to Continue Title Tradition

If Mark Twain were alive today, he would probably say, "The reports of The Harvard men's squash team death have been greatly exaggerated."

The Crimson lost five seniors, including four of its top six players, while Ivy League rivals Yale and Princeton lost only one player from their squads.

But in the Ivy pre-season tournament two weeks ago, Harvard ended talk of anyone taking out its obituary.

Harvard defeated Cornell and Dartmouth, while capturing a 5-4 victory over Princeton and a 6-3 decision against Penn. The Crimson lost a tough 5-4 match to Yale, which won the scrimmage tournamnet.

With a group of strong recruits and the improved play of the returning players, the Crimson is looking to capture its seventh-straight Ivy and national championships.

Harvard will open its season tonight against Trinity. In last year's match, the Crimson recorded a 5-4 decision.

"It's going to be a four-team race," Harvard Assistant Coach John Anz said. "We were happy to find out that we're going to be in the hunt. But we're going to have to work really hard. I think its going to be a terrific season."

The Crimson can tie its own record of seven consecutive Ivy and national titles this year. From 1961-68, Harvard won seven straight Ivy and national crowns, sharing both titles with Penn in 1965.

For the first time in recent Ivy history, there are four teams that can compete for both titles. Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Penn are all capable of winning the Ivy title.

The Crimson has won 22 Ivy championships, the most in the Ivies since the championships began in 1956. Only once has Harvard failed to win or tie for the Ivy title over a span of three consecutive seasons.

As if all those numbers weren't enough, Harvard also enters this year riding a 69-game winning streak, which includes six straight undefeated seasons. Since 1956, the Crimson has gone undefeated in regular-season play 18 times, and has gone undefeated in the Ivies 20 times.

"[Harvard Coach Dave Fish] did an excellent job of recruiting," Yale Coach Dave Talbott said. "He had the best recruiting year. Most of us thought they were going to be a step-down this year. But they proved us wrong. I'm really impressed with Harvard."

Harvard will feature a young line-up, with three freshmen and two sophomores. Farokh Pandole--younger brother of former Harard squash standout, Darius Pandole--Jeremy Fraiberg and Jon Kaye will be play in the top five for the Crimson.

"Losing five players always hurts," Co-Captain Doug Lifford said. "I think we've made up for it with the freshmen. Three of them are in the top five of the ladder. They should make a big contribution."

But the Crimson will still rely heavily on the leadership abilities of Lifford and Co-Captain Frank Huerta. Harvard will also depend on Jon Bernheimer, Jim Masland, Jon Masland, George Polsky, Seth Handy and Doug Cohen.

"It's going to be a lot tougher than last couple of years," Lifford said. "There are a lot of teams that have strong line-ups."

"It's going to be a dogfight," Polsky said. "We were happy with our performance in the pre-season tournament. It's going to be one of those Batman mystery capers, where the winner is going to be decided on the last shot."

Penn has two of the top players in the game with freshman Rudolfo Ruiz--the most sought after recruit this year--and senior Stuart Ballard. The return of Peter Lubowitz will bolster the Qauker line-up.

Yale only lost one player from its 11-2 team. The Elis top players are Ivy Rookie of the Year Jon Musto, Cyrus Metha and Tom Clayton. Tim Goodale is also returning after taking a year off. Yale also has freshman Gary Grank, last year's top junior player.

Princeton (9-1, last year) will field a strong team. The Tiger's top players are Ivy Player of the Year Jeff Stanley, Chris Stevens and Roy Rubin.

National Title

For the first time, the national nine-man title will be decided in a single-elimination tournament.

Before, the national title was given to the team with the best regular-season record.

The Ivy title will still be determined by regular-season play.

Expect the Crimson to be in the hunt once again.