Abraham Leads Squash's Strong Showing at Individuals

Bring together all the top squash players from all the top teams in the nation, give them a world-class venue complete with 16 international courts

and ample gallery space, and let them duke it out for 48 hours to determine

individual male and female champions.

That's exactly what happened this weekend at the Murr Center's Barnaby Courts, and the outcome was nothing short of spectacular.

Players fought through cramps, coaches scurried from court to court, and fans positioned themselves strategically to watch two matches at a time.

In front of a packed crowd Sunday afternoon, Princeton's David Yik defeated Trinity's Lafika Ragontse in the men's final to capture the Pool Trophy, given annually to the top player on the men's tour.

On the women's side, Princeton's Julia Beaver captured her third consecutive championship with a 3-0 win over Trinity's Amina Helal.

But the championship matches were only the culmination of an all-around sensational weekend in which several Harvard players put together solid efforts.

Senior co-captain Deepak Abraham advanced further than any Harvard player before dropping a 3-2 heartbreaker to Ragontse in the semifinals.

Ragontse got off to a fast start in the semis, using his lightning quick speed to track down every drop shot or cross-court shot that Abraham offered. One of the most flamboyant players on the circuit, the Botswana native repeatedly drew a rise from the crowd with his facial expressions and Micheal Jordan-esque sticking out of the tongue.

While the stoic Abraham had difficulty finding a rhythm, Lagontse remained loose and seemed not to be bothered by nerves.

With Ragontse leading 1-0 in games and the score deadlocked at 3-3 in the second game, Abraham rolled his ankle and appeared as if he would have to retire. Although he shook it off and continued to play, his range of motion was considerably reduced and his frustration soon became apparent when he semi-intentionally whacked the glass wall on an aborted swing.

Ragontse rolled off six consecutive points on his way to winning the second game, and Abraham seemed incapable of mounting any sort of comeback.

But Abraham began the third game with a vengeance and displayed a resolve that only minutes earlier seemed non-existent. Winning the third and fourth games, Abraham seized the momentum and capitalized on the jolly Ragontse's lack of concentration.

The last game went down to the wire, with the score at one point knotted at ten, but in the end Ragontse used his speed and deceptive shots to capture the fifth and deciding game.

Although the No. 2 seed Abraham fell short of his quest for a national title, he displayed a professional work ethic throughout the weekend.

Less than 24 hours before his epic battle with Ragontse, Abraham was taken to the limit by teammate Dylan Patterson.

Only after 1 hour and 40 minutes of grueling play did Abraham squash Patterson's upset bid, but indicative of the sportsmanship that prevailed throughout the tournament, Patterson was gracious in defeat.

"It was a real tough match, lasting almost two hours," Patterson said. "Although I was upset that I didn't pull it out in the end, if there is anyone I would have liked to lose to, it would have been Deepak, who is a great captain and plays with a lot of class."

Class was certainly a prevalent theme throughout the weekend, as players served as referees and judges for each other's matches.

In addition to the success of Abraham and Patterson, junior David Barry put together his finest string of squash this season. Placed in the lower tier, Barry was not eligible for a national championship but nevertheless played his heart out en route to a birth, and near victory, in the final round of the Malloy bracket.

Down 2-0 in games to Kansas State's A. Fong, Barry used his fitness level and some wise coaching tactics from teammate and main draw quarterfinalist Pete Karlen to comeback for a sensational 3-2 victory.

Facing four consecutive match points, Barry erased a 14-11 deficit to beat Fong 15-14 in the pivotal third game before winning the fourth game by a more comfortable margin.

Gasping for breath and on his last legs, Fong made a valiant effort to outlast Barry in the fifth game. Barry, however, proved to be the stronger player with a late run that dashed Fong's spirit and emptied his fuel tank for good.

Again down 2-0 in games in his final match with William's Max Monteglas, Barry, and his trademark bloody knee, roared back to capture the next two games.

With Monteglas experiencing Fong-like exhaustion and clinging to a 14-13 lead, Barry tinned out and gave his opponent the break he needed to win the match. "I thanked the man upstairs when he tinned out," Monteglas said after the match. "I can't feel my legs at all."

Harvard's James Bullock also played sound squash after being eliminated from the main draw. The Jamaican coasted through the consolation bracket and eliminated Williams' Parth Doshi to capture the Consolation II title.

Karlen and co-captain Shondip Ghosh each won two matches before being eliminated in the quarterfinals. Ghosh was swept by Abraham in a much tighter game then the score would indicate, while Karlen bowed out to the eventual champion Yik.

Ghosh, Karlen, and Abraham will all likely finish the season ranked in the top-ten and earn First Team All-America honors. Patterson, Bullock, and Gray Witcher should be shoe-ins for Second Team All-America status.

On the women's side, Louisa Hall and Margaret Elias each won three matches to advance to the quarterfinals. As the draw would have it, however, their quarterfinal matches were no cakewalks.

After sweeping through the first three rounds without losing a game, Elias gave the three-time champion Julia Beaver a run for her money before succumbing in four games.

Hall met a similar fate, as she coasted through the first three rounds only to find herself on the court with the eventual runner up Amina Helal.

Although Hall could not advance past the quarterfinals, her strong performance all season should garner her First team All-America honors.

Another success story this weekend was Harvard's Carlin Wing, who beat opponents from Franklin and Marshall and Dartmouth before losing to third-seeded Runa Reta of Pennsylvania in the Round of 16.

Harvard's Colby Hall also made a strong showing by advancing to the Consolation II final after a 2nd Round loss to fourth-seeded Olga Puigdemont-Sola in the main draw.

As the intercollegiate squash season draws to a close, players now return to local and national circuits.