M. Squash boasts new attitude in '99-00

They are still the Penn men's squash team. They still call the Ringe Squash courts home. They still look to senior Andrew Hopkins as their captain. Yet, that is about all that is the same for the Quakers as they head into their 1999-2000 campaign. After a season marred by internal dissent, in which two players quit the team and two were suspended, the squad is looking to new coach Craig Thorpe-Clark for guidance. Thorpe-Clark comes to Penn from Vassar, where he was at the helm of both the men's and women's teams for four years. His experience is underscored by his Level 4 coaching rank, bestowed by the Squash Rackets Association of England. Thorpe-Clark is one of only four coaches in the United States to have earned that distinction. All that coaching ability will definitely come in handy at Penn, where Thorpe-Clark greets a squad which had seemingly lost its motivation in '98-99. The Quakers finished last season with a record of 4-10 overall and 2-4 in Ivy League play. "Clearly my initial goal coming in was to improve the cohesiveness and team spirit," Thorpe-Clark said. "It was important to set the right goals for the team, get the team back on track and build for the future." Penn, which has yet to compete in official matches, can already see the difference Thorpe-Clark has brought. "I would say the team is at least 10 to 15 times more cohesive," sophomore Mukund Khaitan said. "Last year the program did not motivate me to work and excel. This year, everyone feels privileged to be coached by someone so qualified and experienced and we are all working a lot harder." The team is working harder -- and being pushed harder -- than last season, but perhaps the most important aspect that Thorpe-Clark has brought to the Quakers is an intangible. "I can sum it up in one word: fun," Hopkins said. "It's a lot more fun. We are relearning to enjoy squash, enjoy the sport and enjoy getting out there every day." Though the team has a new-found leader in Thorpe-Clark and the guidance of second-year captain Hopkins, junior Pete Withstandley has been honored as co-captain alongside Hopkins. With Hopkins and Withstandley, the team has a dynamic duo capable of guiding them in preparation for the long season ahead. "Peter has helped tremendously by exciting everyone and getting them pumped," junior Jamie White said. "He leads by example and is one of the hardest workers on the team. He complements Andrew, who is just an excellent leader, perfectly." And strong leadership is exactly what this team -- with two freshmen and a transfer student in the lineup -- needs. Joining the returning varsity members from last year -- Hopkins, Withstandley, White, Khaitan, Roberto Kriete, John Griffin and Will Ruthrauff -- are freshmen Andrew Dewing, Elan Levy, Sam Miller and Matt Stone, as well as sophomore Vinil Shah and junior transfer Vikramjit Singh. Singh, who transferred to Penn from Ohio Wesleyan, has captured the No. 6 spot for the Quakers. Freshmen Levy and Miller have also cracked the lineup at Nos. 8 and 9, respectively. While it is impressive for a freshman to start on the varsity squad, what makes Levy's feat all the more incredible is that until September he had never picked up a squash racket. The Houston native had instead concentrated his energy on racquetball, where he is ranked in the top five nationally in under-18 play. However, upon his arrival at Penn -- which has no racquetball team -- Levy decided to pick up squash. "The way I look at it is I've spent 11 years playing racquetball and they are similar games," Levy said. "They are in the same kind of court and they are racket sports, so things just transfer over. "The skills are going to take awhile but I've worked hard to crack the lineup and hopefully as time moves along I'll be able to move up the ladder." That motivation -- the desire to continually improve and excel at the game -- is exactly what the team was missing last year. With the influx of new blood this season, both from the coaching staff and players, and the rededication of the returning athletes, the Quakers are now finally ready to head in the right direction. "The team is very talented and capable and I believe they under-performed last year," Thorpe-Clark said. "This year I hope we can live up to our potential." The Quakers first test will come soon enough -- this Saturday they head to Cornell to face the Big Red.

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