Freshman Fills Top Spot for Crimson

Adjusting to the college lifestyle can be difficult for any freshman. But for Gary Power—an immediate impact player for the Harvard men’s squash team—learning how to handle typical freshman responsibilities must be all the more difficult.

Luckily for the Crimson, Harvard’s current leader at the No. 1 spot seems to have handled the start of his college career flawlessly.

“[Power] has a sparkle in his eye, and he has what we coaches would refer to as an instinctive way of playing,” said Crimson coach Mike Way of the freshman. “Two of our freshmen coming in—he and Brandon [McLaughlin]—have this natural flair for the sport.”

In the first two matches of the season—blowout victories over Brown and Williams—Power put this flair to use, easily defeating both of his older, more experienced opponents in three games. These contests proved to be rather lopsided, as Power beat Bears junior Brad Thompson and Ephs junior William Morris by an aggregate score of 66-31.

“[Power] is a very charismatic young man, and he has a lot of energy,” Way said. “He’s very exciting to watch, and he’s exciting to train with because those are some of the elements he’s bringing to group training.”

For most of his life, Power was a two-sport athlete. Before finding himself in an important role on this year’s Harvard squad, he captained his high school soccer team and garnered first team All-Conference honors.

“I haven’t really had a number one sport,” Power said. “It’s always been [squash and soccer]. I think playing soccer has only helped with fitness. [Playing multiple sports] has definitely helped me keep up the passion for squash over the years, but I’m glad I get to play full-time here.”

Power is part of a strong freshman class that boasts several elite players, including McLaughlin, Nigel Koh, and Thomas Mullaney.

And, with the graduation of Colin West ’10—last year’s CSA Individual National Champion—the Crimson knew early on that it would need to look to its younger players to fill big-time roles and complement the strong core of returners in the 2010-11 season.

So far, the season is taking shape according to plan, as the rookies have held their own on the court for Harvard.

“The attitudes of the freshmen have been absolutely perfect,” Way said. “I think it’s also a tribute to the maturity of the players who are older than them—the sophomores, juniors, and seniors—a tribute to their maturity, especially when you get freshmen coming in who are so strong.”

“Our older players help [the freshmen] navigate their way through Harvard, and not just literally,” Way continued. “[They have helped the freshman learn] how to do the daily training, do their studies, keep on top of things, and really find a balance.”

Power, a two-time Ireland U-19 national squash champion and a former U.S. U-15 national title winner, played for Ireland in the Junior World Championships this summer, leaving him well-prepared for the start of his rookie squash campaign in Cambridge.

“[The team has] been training very hard for the past few months,” said Power of his new Crimson teammates. “We’ve got great team chemistry. The thing I really like about the team this year is that everyone, one through nine, is really close [friendship-wise and in skill level]. We have really good matches every single day, which is just great practice for everyone.”

Though his first few months at Harvard have been successful, Power is setting his sights on winning future matchups and gaining experience.

“The big matches are against Yale, Trinity, Penn, Princeton,” Power said. “Those matches will be a bigger test, because they provide a more intense atmosphere. I haven’t really experienced college squash to the extent that other people have yet, but I’m looking forward to it for sure.”

—Staff writer Catherine E. Coppinger can be reached at ccoppinger@college.harvard.edu.