Penn draws blanks yet again

Men’s squash coach Craig Thorpe-Clark was feeling lucky going into last night’s match against Princeton.

“I had a sneaking feeling that we were looking to snag a couple,” he said.

Several of Princeton’s best players have been injured this season, and right before the match sophomore Christopher Callis was forced to withdraw after a back problem suddenly reemerged.

Furthermore, the Tigers’ last competition was back in mid-December — a 5-4 loss to Rochester — their sole defeat so far this season.

But Thorpe-Clark’s premonition never came to pass, as his Penn team succumbed to Princeton 9-0 for the fourth straight year. Penn dropped to 5-5 (1-3 Ivy) while the Tigers remained undefeated in Ancient Eight play (3-0), with a 6-1 overall record.

Penn seniors Christopher Thompson and Mark Froot bade farewell to Ringe Courts in the Quakers’ final home match of the 2009-10 season.

Froot had to face hot-handed freshman Todd Harrity, still undefeated in the Princeton No. 1 spot.

“I performed well at the beginning of the match and then kind of lost my cool a little bit towards the end,” he explained.

After the shutout, the last Penn squash player to best a Princeton opponent remains Jacob Himmelrich, the sole Quaker point-scorer back in the 2006 meet.

Sophomore Trevor McGuinness came closest to upsetting the Tigers’ streak. He forced Kelly Shannon into a fifth game before falling to the Canadian, who played for the first time this season after a long injury absence.

“[Shannon] felt very fortunate to win tonight.” stressed Princeton coach of 29 years Bob Callahan. “It just came down to a lucky point or two.”

Thorpe-Clark was very clear about how the Quakers need to improve.

“I think we got caught into playing their style in a couple of matches,” he said, “and we were sort of following rather than leading.”

“I would like to have seen us be a little more cunning with our placement, and a bit more consistent with line and length,” he added.

Froot agreed with his coach that Princeton had “exposed” the team’s fitness level.

“I think for the next week we have some building blocks to work on,” the senior said.

Meanwhile, Callahan was pleased with how the match served as a rebound from the defeat by Rochester.

The traditional rivalry between Penn and Princeton was considerably softened by the fact that both coaches have served as president of the American College Squash Association and maintain a close friendship.

As a result, Callahan is entitled to a privilege seldom enjoyed by Princeton coaches.

“I get a chance to see a friendly face when I come to Penn,” he said.

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