Freshmen make debut as m. squash routs opponents

Early December almost always brings the year's first snows to the Princeton campus, and December 2003 did not disappoint. The still-conspicuous absence of the Nude Olympics made Holder courtyard lonelier, but nonetheless all over campus the excitement of winter could be found. From the snowball fights on Friday to eating club formals on Saturday to the marching band's Christmas carols on Sunday night, Princeton was buzzing all weekend with the spirit of the season.

As their fellow students made merry in the snow, the men's squash team decided to celebrate the holidays a bit differently — by dominating a pair of nationally-ranked opponents. Eleven different Princeton players won matches over the weekend, including six freshmen. When all was said and done, Princeton finished a perfect 18-for-18 on the weekend, blanking both Brown and Franklin & Marshall by 9-0 scores.

Saturday's match with Brown saw the entire Tiger lineup cruise to easy victory. Only one Princeton player dropped a game, and in that match Rob Siverd, the Tigers' No. 7 player, came back from a 2-1 deficit to dash Brown's slim hopes for a win and the leave the Bears' humbled players shaking their heads. It was dominance as usual for the Tigers, who likely will not face a stiff test from any opponent until they take on Harvard, Yale and Trinity later in the season.

"Knowing that we have a young team, Brown came in confident that they had a chance," junior Dent Wilkens said. "I think the entire team went out against Brown very focused."

Whether it was due to superior focus or just because of a gap in talent, the Bears simply did not have a chance against Princeton's strength and skill. The easy win indicates that despite the Tigers' youth and relative inexperience, Princeton is still a cut above most of its opponents. The blowout of Brown, ranked No. 9 in the nation coming into the match, follows another 9-0 blowout win two weeks ago at No. 5 Cornell.

Sunday's match against No. 12 Franklin and Marshall, however, promised to be a bit more intriguing. Saturday night's events led head coach Bob Callahan to excuse No. 2 Dent Wilkens and fellow junior and No. 5 player Nate Beck from Sunday's match, and a pair of freshmen with familiar names took their places. Callahan's son, Tim, played in the nine spot, while Preston Comey, the younger brother of women's player junior Frances Comey, played No. 8.

To add to the intrigue, Comey's opponent from F&M was Arthur Degen, younger brother of junior Kathleen Degen, who also plays on the women's team. The battle of erstwhile rivals proved a bit one-sided, however, when Preston Comey performed up to the standards of the rest of his teammates and prevailed by a 3-0 score.

Young Callahan, getting his first chance as a part of the lineup on his father's team, was ready for the challenge. The freshman dominated his match, winning 3-0 without dropping a single point. Only time will tell if the brilliant debut was the prelude to a long career for Tim Callahan, whose brother Greg also plays on the team.

"It was great to see all of our freshmen play well," Wilkens said. "They have been a great addition to our team right from the start."

The success of the first-year players will ultimately decide the fate of the Tigers this season. Even with Wilkens and Beck in the lineup, the team starts four freshmen in key lineup spots. Against Brown, Vincent Yu and Michael Gilman played at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, while Parker Sutton played at No. 6 and Brendan Bascom played No. 9. All four are rookies.

While the young players have enjoyed success so far, they have yet to feel the pressure of a truly tough match where a loss by any member of the top nine could mean the difference between winning and losing a championship. The Tigers must go through No. 2 Yale and No. 3 Harvard to win the Ivy League championship, and an even harder test will come against No. 1 Trinity, the king of the squash world and Princeton's toughest opponent.

But those matches will come later in the season. For now, Princeton enters the holiday season riding a wave of good feeling, thanks to the early maturation of its freshman. Whether the Tigers can surf all the way to a championship remains to be seen.