In most sports it takes one outstanding individual leading a strong supporting cast to win championships. The fact that the 1999-2000 men's squash team confirmed this truism was the only thing routine about this squad.
For the first time in 11 years, a team other than Harvard will try to defend its Ivy League title this upcoming winter. Princeton (11-2 overall, 6-0 Ivy League) wrested the championship from the Crimson in a 5-4 win Feb. 13. The victory not only showcased the Tigers' star, Peter Yik '00, but also demonstrated the depth that drove the team all season. Three of the five wins in the match came from the young trio of Eric Pearson '03, Will Evans '03 and David Yik '03.
In past seasons it had been a lack of depth that kept Princeton from becoming one of the elite squash teams in the country. It seemed that the Tigers would either overpower lesser opponents or ultimately fold against tougher competition — in the 1998-1999 season the team won 10 matches by seven or more points but dropped a close match to Yale that ended dreams of a league championship.
This year, Princeton was just as dominant against its weaker opponents — winning seven matches by seven points or more — but could also win the close matches, as it proved against the Crimson.
Senior standout
Just as spectacular as the team's effort throughout the season was its leader's individual performance at the National Intercollegiate Singles Championship Mar. 5.
Peter Yik ended his Princeton career by repeating as national singles champion, sweeping through the field without dropping a single game in seven matches.
"He was devastating," head coach Bob Callahan '77 said. "It was one of the most dominant performances I've ever seen."
Not everything went the Tigers' way, however, during the season.
Princeton suffered only two losses on the season, one coming just a week after its Ivy-title clinching win. The Tigers dropped that Feb. 12 match to squash powerhouse Trinity.
"I think we were disappointed with the result," Peter Yik said. "We were underdogs going in, but any time you lose you're not going to be happy with the result."
"We got beaten by a better team," Callahan said of the match against the Bantams. "Going in we knew they were much stronger and we hoped to play well. I thought that we played very well against a clearly better team. I was very proud of our guys that they've accomplished so much."
Even in defeat, members of the team rallied around their leader. Peter Yik was matched up against Trinity's No. 1 Marcus Cowie — who had won the individual national championship for two straight years before Yik captured the title in 1999. The Princeton senior would eventually win one of only two Tiger points in the match, largely as a result of his teammates' encouragement.
"I could tell that they really wanted me to win, and I can't express how much that meant to me," Yik said. "They've always been there for me, and it was just a big win, not for me but for the team."
Revenge
The next week, Harvard avenged its conference loss by eliminating Princeton from the national team tournament in the Feb. 26 semifinals. The Tigers had hoped to force a rematch with Trinity in the final, but it was not to be.
Princeton ended the 1999-2000 season on a somewhat disappointing note — but with the return of key players such as Pearson and David Yik next year, the team may have a chance to start an Ivy dynasty similar to the one it just managed to destroy.
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