Squash: Harrity rolls to first national title of career

On Sunday afternoon, sophomore Todd Harrity defeated Cornell’s Nick Sachvie 3-0 in the finals of the College Squash Association individual tournament. Harrity became the first American player to win the title in 21 years. Fifteen years ago, college squash switched from using a hard ball to a soft ball to follow international standards.

“I think it’s fantastic for Todd,” head coach Bob Callahan ’77 said. “He works very hard; he cares very deeply about doing it well; he’s a great sportsman and a great role model for all college squash players on how to compete with grace and dignity.”

As a freshman, Harrity reached the individual final before falling to Harvard’s Colin West, the No. 1 seed in the tournament. But after steamrolling the competition en route to an undefeated regular season, Harrity entered this year’s tournament as the predominant favorite.

“This year, I was more fresh and I had more energy,” Harrity said. “Last year, I had to adjust my game [in the final] a little more, and this year it was more about asserting myself and my game and being really confident.”

Harrity won all five of his tournament matches 3-0 and dropped just two individual games the entire season. In fact, Harrity had not lost a game since he defeated Sachvie 3-1 in November.

“I would have to think back a long time to find someone as dominant as Todd this year,” Callahan said. “With the sport as deep as it is, it’s a real testament to his determination to not let up at all. No matter who Todd’s playing, he brings the same level of effort, concentration and respect for his opponent.”

Though Harrity entered the year as the No. 1 player in the country, Callahan noted Harrity’s marked improvement from last season as the key to his success. Harrity’s growth as a player was apparent throughout the weekend. In the opening match of the tournament, Harrity topped Trinity’s Antonio Diaz Glez 3-0. Last season, Harrity needed five games to defeat Diaz Glez in the national semifinals. After topping Diaz Glez, Harrity rolled to 3-0 victories over Rochester’s Andres Duany and Bennie Fischer and Trinity’s Vikram Malhotra, the No. 4 seed, to set up his match with Sachvie.

Though Harrity won many of his matches last year by playing consistent, defensive squash, he used a much more aggressive approach in this year’s tournament. In January, Harrity switched his backhand grip to speed up the tempo of his game.

“That’s something that takes years and years to change,” Callahan said. “He did it in a month.”

Harrity’s result marked the high point of an otherwise impressive weekend for both Princeton squash teams.

Despite entering the tournament as the No. 26 player in the country, junior Kelly Shannon, who has battled injuries all season, won four matches to finish in ninth place. Shannon defeated Dartmouth’s Chris Hanson (the No. 7 seed), senior co-captain Dave Letourneau (No. 2), Trinity’s Parth Sharma (No. 6) and Harvard’s Gary Power (No. 5) in the most impressive performance of his collegiate career. In addition, junior Clay Blackiston won four consecutive matches to capture the second round consolation bracket of the ‘B’ draw.

Letourneau lost in the second round of the ‘A’ draw, while junior Chris Callis and senior co-captain Peter Sopher fell in the opening round.

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On the women’s side, sophomore Julie Cerullo reached the semifinals of the ‘A’ draw before falling to Harvard’s Laura Gemmell, the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Senior Jackie Moss nearly matched her Canadian compatriot on the men’s side but fell in the second round consolation final of the ‘A’ draw to finish in 10th place.

The finals of the women’s ‘B’ draw were an Orange-and-Black affair, as junior Katie Giovinazzo topped freshman Alex Sawin 3-1. In the semifinals, Sawin and Giovinazzo topped the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively.

If this weekend has any bearing on the future, someone should tell the person responsible for stitching Harrity’s name to the orange banners lining the courts in Jadwin to save some thread for next year.