Princeton finishes fourth at Howe Cup

Nothing changed atop the women's squash national standings this past weekend as a result of the Howe Cup, which determines the team national champion. Despite hosting the tournament at the Jadwin Gym courts for the first time, Princeton (9-5 overall, 3-2 Ivy League) could not use the home support to catapult itself higher in the rankings. The Tigers finished their season just as they entered the weekend — fourth overall behind No. 1 Yale, No. 2 Harvard and No. 3 Trinity.

"We didn't expect to come out of the tournament as the best team in the country," sophomore No. 1 Claire Rein-Weston said, "but the fact that both Trinity and Harvard finished ahead of us was quite disappointing."

Thirty of the nation's best programs descended on the Princeton campus, competing in four divisions. The Tigers opened the weekend with an impressive 8-1 quarterfinal win over No. 5 Dartmouth (8-4, 2-3). Three matches went to decisive fifth games, but Princeton came out on top in all three.

Rein-Weston came back from a 2-1 deficit, winning the final two games, 9-5 and 9-1. Freshman standout Christina Fast also pulled out a win in the No. 5 position. After losing the third game, 9-7, Fast rallied to win the next two games by identical 9-1 scores. Sophomore No. 8 Anina Nolan was one of the Tigers pushed to a fifth and final game, which she ultimately won, 9-5.

Friday's win set up a Saturday afternoon matchup with the top-ranked Yale team (14-0, 5-0). The Bulldogs preserved their unbeaten season with an 8-1 defeat of Princeton. The lone Tiger win came from freshman No. 6 Margaret Kent, who won in straight games over Lauren Doline.

Yale's tenacious defending individual national champion, Michelle Quibell, defeated Rein-Weston in three games, though the Tiger forced two of the games beyond nine points. The final score in that contest was 10-8, 9-5, 10-8. The Bulldogs won four matches in straight games and won all four of the matches that went to four games.

No consolation

With the loss, Princeton dropped out of contention for the No. 1 spot, but the Tigers still faced a showdown with Trinity (11-3) on Sunday in a match that would decide third and fourth place in the nation.

Princeton fell to the Bantams, 6-3, as Trinity easily won the top five matches. Kent remained perfect in her first-ever Howe Cup, beating Fernanda Rocha, 3-0, and losing only six points throughout the entire match.

Nolan won in straight games at No. 8, and senior co-captains Tricia Gadsden and Franny McKay ended their home careers with 3-1 victories at No. 9 and No. 10, respectively.

At the end of the day, Princeton remained fourth in the nation.

In the featured matchup on championship Sunday, Yale made quick work of Harvard (9-2, 4-1), 7-2, finishing the season where they began it — at No. 1. The Bulldogs claimed the national dual meet championship, the Ivy League Championship and the Howe Cup, winning women's squash's triple crown for the second year in a row.

Yale won 21 of 23 games in its seven victories against Harvard. Quibell avenged her only loss this season, defeating Harvard's Kyla Grigg in the No. 1 position on Sunday. The team win kept Yale unbeaten in the past two seasons.

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Though the Tigers' 15th Howe Cup championship eluded them, the women now have their eyes set on individual success. The college Squash Association Singles Tournament is just two weeks away, hosted by Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H.

"I think the top four Princeton players can do well at Individuals if we train hard for the next two weeks," Rein-Weston said. "We can't slack off and then expect to beat all of these talented, young international players, but if we go there on form, I wouldn't underestimate us."