Teams sweep Harvard for Ivy titles

On Sunday afternoon, droves of Princeton faithful filled the galleries of the Jadwin Gymnasium squash courts in anticipation of the men's and women's showdown with Harvard.

While both the men's and women's teams, boasting identical undefeated records, were playing to claim the Ivy League championship, the women's team was also competing for the dual-match national championship.

And both teams took full advantage of the opportunity.

Beginning the afternoon, the first round of matches appeared ominous for the No. 3 Tiger men (8-0 overall, 6-0 Ivy League), as the No. 2 Crimson (5-2, 4-1) posted the first three victories and were two points away from claiming the fourth.

But freshman No. 6 David Canner, demonstrating poise beyond his years, refused to let that happen. He ground out a clutch win in the first of the afternoon's many five-game matches.

"Canner's win was huge for the momentum of the match," senior Preston Comey said. "As he has done all year, he came up with the big points when we needed it most. That was absolutely the turning point in the match."

Trailing three matches to one at the end of the first session, the Tigers, who were undoubtedly inspired by the performance of their freshman teammate, played the last five matches with an unparalleled level of heart and determination that took the Crimson by storm.

When the dust had settled, Princeton had claimed all five matches in the second session, completing a miraculous comeback with a 6-3 victory.

"I am just so proud of the team," said head coach Bob Callahan '77, who was choking back tears as he congratulated his players. "They have worked so hard toward this goal, and I couldn't be happier to see them achieve it."

Leading the onslaught in the second half of the match was No. 7 Comey, who rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Niko Hrdy, and sophomores No. 1 Mauricio Sanchez and No. 3 Kimlee Wong, both of whom won decisively.

Sanchez's win is particularly noteworthy, as he toppled Siddharth Suchde, a senior who has been the top-ranked individual in the nation throughout the season and had not surrendered a single game.

The victory gave Princeton its fourth Ivy League championship in the past six years and the 12th in the program's rich history.

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The No. 1 Tiger women (8-0, 6-0), who went on court shortly after the men completed their match, built on the momentum established by their counterparts.

After honoring the team's six seniors, who were playing their final match in Jadwin Gymnasium, Princeton came out with a reckless abandon, as juniors No. 6 Casey Riley and No. 8 Carly Grabowski quickly posted shutout victories.

Meanwhile, Harvard had a strong chance to even the score, as the two other first-session matches were extended to fifth games.

But freshman No. 2 Neha Kumar and senior No. 4 Gen Lessard rallied to extend the Tigers' lead to 4-0.

"Neha played her best match to date," head coach Gail Ramsay said. "When she was pushed in that final game, she kept her patience and made beautiful shot selections. Her win was key for the momentum of the match."

Princeton quickly sealed the victory in the second session, as seniors No. 5 Ali Pearson and No. 7 Marilla Hiltz defeated their Crimson counterparts.

With the 7-2 victory, the Tigers claimed their first Ivy League championship since 1998 and the dual-match national championship.

Moreover, this is the first time that both the Princeton men and women have concurrently held the Ivy League championship since 1989.

"We are all so excited," Grabowski said. "The seniors have meant so much to this team, so it feels great to send them out on top."

While the men and women notched historic wins Sunday, they still have some business to take care of.

The Tiger men will complete their regular season on Saturday, when they take on eight-time defending national champion Trinity in Jadwin Gymnasium.

Princeton is now playing for the top-seed in the season-ending national team championship. The Tigers are looking to avenge their heartbreaking 5-4 loss to the Bantams a year ago.

While the women have completed their regular season, they will enter the season-ending national team championship on Friday as the top seed. They are seeking their first Howe Cup victory since 1999. With the way the team has been playing this season, that looks more than possible.