The trophies traveled all the way up to Boston, only to be brought home to rest on the same mantelpieces.
Last weekend at the National Individual Squash Championship, Princeton continued its dominance over the individual aspect of the sport, bringing home both men's and women's titles for the third straight year.
In fact, the greatest move that the trophies made was within one family, as sophomore David Yik inherited the crown worn by his brother, Peter Yik '00, for the past two years.
In the women's half of the tournament, senior Julia Beaver solidified her position as one of the best collegiate squash players in history, taking home her third straight individual title.
"I'm just relieved that it's over and it went well," Beaver said. "This season was tough for me because I imposed so much pressure on myself.
"I really wanted to have a great final season, and this tournament helped me to emphasize my own personal goals."
Beaver's title came on the heels of a season in which she struggled on both a team and an individual level. The team finished third both at the team national championships and within the Ivy League.
Individually, Beaver also had a difficult season, losing in dual play matches, a fate that had never occurred during her collegiate career.
Beaver's lone collegiate dual play loss came Feb. 1 against Penn, as she fell to Runa Reta in a disappointing 3-1 match. Beaver gained a measure of revenge in her Howe Cup victory over Reta, but the wound was still festering.
Beaver's other loss of the season came to Nina Halel of Trinity in Howe Cup play, though she defeated her a week later in a rescheduled dual match.
With these two losses still fresh in her mind, Beaver came to Harvard with something to prove in the individual tournament.
As the top seed, Beaver came out strong. She lost only one game in her first three matches.
She met Reta in the semifinals, and defeated her, 3-1. In the finals, she met with Halel, defeating her by the same score.
"I was upset with my draw because Nina [Halel] had the easier one," Beaver said. "But this way, no one can question that I deserved to win. It was defintely satisfying to play them both on the same day and beat them back."
While Beaver was repeating history on the women's side, the men's bracket was wide open. With the defending champion graduated, there was no clearly dominant player.
"It's nice when people tell you that you have potential, but it's much better when you're able to prove them right," Yik said.
Yik was seeded fourth, and, like Beaver, he breezed through his early matches. However, unlike his fellow champion, he did not get a chance to meet the two players he lost to in dual matches.
"I was worried about my last two opponents because I knew I needed to be patient," Yik said. "They are both very patient players who could capitalize on any mistake I made."
He defeated Nicholas Kyme from Trinity in the semifinals, 3-1, and then defeated Kyme's teammate, Lefika Ragontse, 3-1, for the title.
Yik's victory was especially sweet because his entire family was there to watch, including his brother Peter.
"It was a great thing seeing the two Yiks side by side up on the wall [with the trophy pictures]," Yik said.
It will be even nicer when the trophy is returned to its place of prominence above the Yik fireplace.
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