M. Squash | An impossible task in Hartford

Calling the Trinity men's squash program "great" does not do it justice. It is arguably the best in collegiate sports history.

The Bantams' 189-match win streak is the longest for any college team ever, and they consistently bring in the best recruits from all over the world. They have established a dynasty that doesn't seem capable of falling.

It will be a tough feat, then, when the Quakers travel to Hartford, Conn., tomorrow to try and halt that streak.

"They've had the best team for the last 10 years," Penn coach Craig Thorpe-Clark said. "They've been a benchmark of squash excellence and athletic excellence that probably won't be surpassed."

The last time No. 1 Trinity (6-0) lost a match - a February 1998 contest against Harvard - its current freshmen were in the third grade. And since that time, the squad has only become more dominant.

Penn (6-2, 1-2 Ivy) barely has a starting nine in the national top 100, with senior Andrew Zimmerman sneaking in at No. 100. Trinity, on the other hand, has five in the top 10 and nine in the top 30, highlighted by Pakistani junior Baset Chaudhry and Swedish senior Gustav Detter at Nos. 1 and 2.

And the No. 7 Quakers' prospects this year look as bleak as always. On Wednesday, the Bantams shut out No. 3 Yale, a team that soundly beat the Quakers, 8-1, in December. Last year, only then-senior Ryan Rayfield was able to steal a game, with every other Penn player falling, 3-0.

But the Red and Blue say they'll head to the courts intending to win, even if that hope is irrational in a sport where upsets at the top of the rankings are incredibly rare.

"We're going to play to win; we're going to play our hardest," Zimmerman said. "If we catch them on an off day, then whatever. Being an athlete, you have to have the mentality that you're going to go out there and you can win. If you go into a match feeling defeated already, what's the point of even trying?"

So far, though, 189 squads have tried and failed to unseat the Bantams. They cruised to their 10th-straight championship last year, beating Princeton, 8-1, in the finals. This year, they have won all six matches 9-0.

But if there's any advantage going the Quakers' way, it's that they have nothing to lose. And they know that Trinity's streak can't go on forever.

"Somebody's got to beat them someday," Thorpe-Clark said. "Maybe Saturday will be the day."

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