Squash: Title dreams burn bright despite graduation losses

The men’s team had a successful season in 2010-11, going 12-3 against fierce competition. The Tigers placed second in Ivy League and third in the country, following 13-time defending champion Trinity and Yale, and are ranked No. 3 again entering this season.

On the other hand, the women’s side experienced great success a few years back, winning three consecutive national championships from 2007-2009. While the Tigers went 11-5 and finished third in the national tournament last year, the team, also ranked third in the preseason, hopes to regain the title.

“The goal for the team this year is ultimately to win the national championship,” junior Todd Harrity said. “We’ve had really good teams in the past and a lot of talented players, but we haven’t been winning it.”

Harrity, the reigning individual national champion, will also be a huge asset to this year’s team. Three of the four top players, including Harrity and senior captains Kelly Shannon and Chris Callis, return this year.

Shannon finished ninth in the final national rankings. Although his college career has been plagued with injuries, Shannon received All-America honors for the third time last season. Callis also suffered injuries early in the season but recorded 10 wins, predominantly at No. 3 spot, and will continue to be a strong force for Princeton this year.

As a sophomore, Harrity went undefeated in the Ivy League and did not lose a single game in the individual national tournament. He hopes to win the championship once again but won’t be able to do so without a challenge.

“It’s going to be harder this year,” Harrity said. “There are always new players coming in, and a couple of new players at Harvard and Columbia is going to make winning individual nationals harder.”

Harvard transfer Ali Farag, a former junior world champion who is currently the No. 85 player worldwide, will be Harrity’s toughest hurdle for a repeat title.

Although the team graduated nine seniors, the Tigers also added five freshmen to the roster. The team had big shoes to fill, but the new freshman class contributes a very strong and diverse group of players to the mix.

“Although we’ve lost a few players, we have a strong incoming class,” freshman Jacob Lee said. “Also, everyone else has only gotten better.”

Along with Lee, the freshman class includes Samuel Kang, Tyler Osborne, David Hoffman and Taylor Tutrone. Lee led Westminster School to second place at the New England Championship and eighth place at nationals.

Kang has been the top-ranked player in his age group in Singapore since he was 15. Osbourne was also the top-ranked player in his country, Canada.

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“The new freshmen are definitely doing a good job filling that gap left behind,” Harrity said. “I do feel the dynamic of the team is different this year, but I like it.”

The men’s team’s biggest rival this year will once again be Trinity, which won the national team championship for the 13th consecutive year last season. Their winning streak is now 244 straight wins, but the Bantams lost 12 seniors, including six of their top 10 players. Many of Trinity’s graduates were first and second-team All-America, so this year looks as promising as any for the Tigers.

“I’m really excited to see where the season takes us,” Harrity said. “We have a lot of potential, and I just hope everything turns out well.”

If the team can avoid injuries, the Tigers might be able to claim the title from Trinity’s strong grip.

“Once we get everyone healthy, I think we’ll be in good shape,” Lee said.

The women’s team also looks to regain the national championship this year. Although the beginning of the season was a little rough in 2010-11, the Tigers ended the season on a very high note last year. In the Howe Cup, Princeton upset two higher ranked teams, Trinity and Penn, to finish third in the national tournament at Jadwin.

The Tigers look to continue by building on the momentum from the end of last season.

“Both my freshman and sophomore years, we had a slow start but ended up finishing strong,” junior Julie Cerullo said. “We’ve already had a stronger start than I’ve ever had.”

The Tigers view this initial success as just the beginning. They performed well in their recent Ivy League scrimmages, in which Cerullo defeated Harvard’s top player, showing the potential they have to win.

“We’re happy to have started with such a strong baseline,” Cerullo said. “We’re looking forward to keep building.”

Unlike the men’s team, which has several experienced players, the women’s team is characterized by its talented youth. Last year, seven of the players in the starting line-up were underclassmen, and the team adds five new freshmen who will compete for spots in the top nine.

With Nicole Bunyan, who finished at second place in the Candian Junior Squash championships, Hallie Dewey, who was consistently ranked in the top 10 in the nation, and Alex Lunt, who won the New England individual championship for three straight years, the team’s freshmen should add to the base of young talent.

“We’re looking forward to seeing three freshmen in the top nine,” Cerullo said.

In addition, sophomore Libby Eyre, who won second-team All-America honors, brings her varsity experience while Julie Cerullo returns in the top spot. Last year, Cerullo earned first-team All America and All-Ivy honors for the second time, and finished the year ranked third nationally.

Their biggest rival this year seems to be No. 1 Harvard, which finished second last year in the Howe Cup. Although the Crimson graduated four seniors from its top nine, its group of players includes 2010 World Junior champion Amanda Sobhy and Laura Gemmel, a two-time Ivy League Player of the Year and the 2010 national individual champion.

“We’ve had a positive start to this season,” Cerullo said. “We’ve clearly established ourselves as a dominant threat, and we’re looking to channel that positive start in our favor.”

In the end, both teams look toward team cohesiveness and hard work to tie everything together for the win. This season should prove exciting for Princeton squash as a whole.

The men’s team especially looks forward to the national tournament, which will be held at Jadwin. Last time the Tigers hosted nationals, they lost 5-4 to Trinity in the championship — one of the most thrilling matches in college squash history.

“It should be some great squash,” Lee said.