Squash Loses National, Ivy Titles This Year

On the surface, you may look at the Murr Center and see men's and women's squash teams that did not succeed in repeating as Ivy League Champions.

You may look at the men and see a squad that lost to Trinity in the final round of the National Intercollegiate Squash Racquets Association (NISRA) team championships for a second straight year.

You may look at the women and see a team that came in fourth at the Howe Cup, the national championships of women's squash, after winning six Cups in the '90s.

You may look at Harvard squash's 2000 season and question how much of a success it was.

Look closer.

The men's and women's squash teams faired well in their first year under Coach Satinder Bajwa. "Baj" guided a women's team that lost five seniors to graduation last year to a fourth-place finish after agonizingly close 5-4 losses to the nation's three best teams. He took an injury-plagued men's team to the title match against Trinity after a 13-3 regular-season campaign (4-1 Ivy) and a first-place finish at the United States Squash Racquets Association (USSRA) Team Invitational in January. All things considered, the 1999-2000 season abounded with positives.

Men

The men's season began with nine straight victories and a first-place finish at the USSRA tournament. Co-captain Tim Wyant, who became the Crimson's first four-time All-American in six years, led a deep team.

"Tim was a great leader," Bajwa said. "The team really looked up to him and [co-captain] Eric Lauer. They will be greatly missed."

Juniors Deepak Abraham and Gray Witcher joined sophomore Pete Karlen as Second Team All-Americans and occupied the second and third spots, respectively.

Freshman Dylan Patterson fought back trouble late in the season, but still turned in a solid first year. He joined ultra-consistent junior Shondip Ghosh on the Honorable Mention All-America list.

"Every individual on the team was a credit to the program," Bajwa said.

Deep as the Crimson was, it suffered its first loss of the season to Trinity in February. Five losses at the top of the lineup contributed to a 7-2 setback. After that, the Crimson would not lose again until a match at the Murr Center that would decide the Ivy League Championship.

Key injuries to Abraham and Patterson hurt Harvard's chances. The banged-up Crimson lost the Ivy League championship to Princeton in a 5-4 squeaker, but a healthier squad rebounded two weeks later to triumph

over the Tigers in the NISRA semifinals, 6-3.

Trinity ultimately defeated Harvard in the championship game, 8-1, but Harvard had re-established itself as the focal point of Ivy League squash. The team is losing Wyant and Lauer, but the remaining members of the top nine will return a year better.

Women

The women's team entered 1999-2000 heavily depleted after having lost five of its top nine to graduation, but the Crimson, led by captain Blair Endresen, was not about to allow the turnover to excuse a letdown in the results.

"Blair had a hard job as the stand-alone captain," Bajwa said. "But she did a great job. We showed that we could compete with a young team."

Sophomore Margaret Elias continued to shine for the Crimson, earning All-America recognition while playing No. 1. Carlin Wing and Colby Hall were named to the Women's Intercollegiate Squash Association Second Team.

Penn clinched the Ivy League Championship in the Murr Center on February 12, and the Crimson went on to lose a tough 5-4 match to Princeton the next day. At the Howe Cup, the team breezed past Dartmouth before falling to Penn and Trinity in two 5-4 heartbreakers in the semifinal and third-place matches.

"It was difficult," Bajwa said. "No. 4 could have easily been one, two or three for us."

The Crimson should benefit from a less turnover this summer. Seven of the top nine will return next year, and the Crimson's next recruiting class will include four potential top-nine freshmen, including Louisa Hall, who Bajwa calls "perhaps the best recruit in the country."