Tigers sweep in first Ivy match

The last time Cornell came into Jadwin Gymnasium for a dual match, it emerged with an historic upset, defeating Princeton for the first time in the program's history. On Sunday, the men's squash team refused to let it happen again.

The No. 2 Tigers (1-0 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) opened their regular season with a dominant performance, taking all nine matches from Cornell (1-2, 0-2) in convincing fashion. When the final tally was taken, the Orange and Black had claimed 27 of the 28 games played.

All nine Princeton starters appeared in top form, displaying the results of a rigorous preseason training regimen. At the top of the lineup, sophomores Mauricio Sanchez, Kimlee Wong and Hesham El Halaby all tallied 3-0 victories as did senior captain Michael Gilman and junior captain Tom McKay. More importantly, freshmen Santiago Imberton and David Canner recorded the first official victories of their collegiate careers and handled the transition from the junior to collegiate level with great composure.

"It's great to get early wins and build up momentum for the rest of the season," Canner said. "It's all about the physics."

Gilman expressed a similar sentiment.

"The mindset is to get better with each match," he said. "We want to build upon the win and use the momentum throughout the season."

Head coach Bob Callahan, while happy with the team's performance, will maintain a disciplined practice schedule as the Tigers prepare for the heart of their season and a run at the national championship.

"We are looking forward to a good month of practice before winter break," Callahan said, "as we want to be as ready as possible for a great run in February."

The already-potent Tiger lineup will be strengthened by the anticipated return of senior Vincent Yu and senior captain Parker Sutton, both of whom were injured earlier in November. Yu, who tore up his dominant hand in a freak accident, had his stitches removed last week. He is expected to return by early December, at which point he will challenge for a position in the middle of the lineup.

Sutton suffered a more serious hamstring injury and has not yet been given medical clearance to resume his workouts. Callahan, recognizing the danger in the recurrence of this injury, will be more cautious with Sutton.

"I would rather have him back 100 percent in January versus rushing him back too soon and possibly re-injuring his hamstring," he said.

Princeton heads next to Lancaster, Pa., after Thanksgiving for a Wednesday-night showdown with No. 13 Franklin and Marshall.