Men's squash makes finals of Five-Man Team Championships

For the men's squash team, defeating Trinity is like climbing a mountain. Each time they face off, the Tigers inch closer to the top and a long-awaited victory.

The latest chapter in the Princeton-Trinity rivalry was this past weekend's Five-Man Team Championships held at Trinity. The tournament, which is sponsored by the United States Squash Raquets Association, is open to anyone who wishes to play, even non-collegiate teams.

Instead of the usual nine-person teams, each team in this tournament is composed of five players. Coach Bob Callahan, '77 sent two teams, each with very different goals.

Callahan set two goals for the first team, comprised of Princeton's top five players minus junior Eric Peason, who was out with an injury. The first objective was to make it to the finals with a strong showing in the first three rounds. The second was to put the team in a position to win in the finals.

The team responded to both of Callahan's objectives over the course of the weekend. Led by captains junior David Yik and senior Peter Kelly, the Tigers played very well in their first three matches to earn themselves a spot in the finals.

Princeton's first match was against the US Junior National Team, which is composed of players under the age of 18. After easily disposing of this team, the Tigers next came upon Trinity's second team. Similar to Princeton's second team, this squad included the No. 5 through ten players on Trinity's team.

In the semifinals, Princeton once again played another strong Trinity team. This time, it was Trinity Infinity, a team made up of former Trinity squash players. Trinity had knocked out Harvard, ranked No. 2 in the National Intercollegiate Squash Raquets Association poll, in the quarterfinals. The Tigers were not fazed. They defeated their opponents and earned a shot to play Trinity for the championship — first goal accomplished.

"We got to the finals for the first time in a couple of years," Yik said. "We were pleased about that."

Princeton lost 4-1 to Trinity in the finals, but the contest was much closer than the score suggests.

Junior Dan Rutherford posted the only win for the Tigers out of the No. 3 spot. He won a tough match, 3-2, that came down to the fifth game.

Despite this being the only win for the Tigers, the team was confident that it could have pulled out most of the other matches.

"I felt like we could have won the final match," Yik said. "We had the potential for three other wins."

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In the No. 1 spot, David Yik suffered his first defeat of the season as he fell to Trinity's newcomer Bernado Samper, 3-1. Junior Will Evans and freshman Dent Wilkins both fell 3-0 in their matches. Kelly, playing in the No. 4, spot fell 3-1 in a hotly contested match.

One thing that Tigers can look forward to the next time they face the Bantams is having a healthy Pearson in the lineup. Pearson, out with a strained MCL, usually plays in the No. 5 spot for the Tigers. His place has been filled by Wilkins.

"It will be a big boost when Eric comes back," Kelly said. "Maybe the finals would have been different. Eric probably could have won and that would have made the match closer."

The Tigers now enjoy almost two months off before resuming competition at the end of January. It will give them time to nurse injuries and work on their fitness, which, according to Yik, is still an area where Princeton needs to improve.

The Tigers are looking forward to their next chance to overcome the mountain that is Trinity. This next chapter will be written in late February when Princeton hosts the defending national champs.