Trinity's run goes untouched

With the nation’s best squash program at Ringe Courts Saturday, even a few Penn program alumni came back to see if their Quakers could end the infamous Trinity Streak.

“I think it’s inevitable. They’re going to lose,” 2008 College graduate and former Quakers player Spencer Kurn said of Trinity's run.

Saturday, however, the inevitable did not occur, as both the Penn men and women fell to the Bantams, losing 9-0 and 6-3, respectively. The Quakers are still optimistic about their performances.

The match marked the Trinity men’s 231st consecutive victory and allowed the Bantams to continue their streak as the most successful team in the history of collegiate athletics.

“The reality is that they’re an extremely talented team,” coach Jack Wyant said, “[but] some of the matches were nail-bitingly close. We’re a young team. It shows that we can compete with the very best.”

True to Wyant’s testament, both teams did give it quite the fight. For the women, sophomores Yarden Odinak and Pia Trikha and freshman Courtney Jones all racked up wins against the No. 3 Bantams, with Odinak and Trikha continuing undefeated seasons and Jones carrying her record to 6-1.

“I didn’t really approach it any differently,” Trikha said of her win. “I went on the court assuming it was like any other match. I didn’t place any more importance [on the match] or pressure on myself.”

But perhaps the biggest story of all was freshman Daniel Judd’s near victory for the men. Judd, who was introduced Saturday afternoon as Dan ‘Dr. J.’ Judd, carried his match against Trinity freshman Matthew Mackin into the fifth game, which Judd surrendered 11-4.

Judd played his first official match for Penn just last weekend against Williams, winning 3-0.

“It makes you hungry,” Judd said of his recent success. “It makes you want to try harder.”

Wyant, who has been working individually to help Judd step up his game, spoke highly of the freshman’s abilities, calling Judd, “one of the hardest workers we have in the program.”

And the team’s optimism for the rest of its season extended beyond its players. Much of this year’s Alpha Chi Omega pledge class showed up bearing signs in support of their new sisters and cheered enthusiastically for the Quakers despite the scores.

But with the No. 1 Trinity men in town, the Bantams brought their own fan club — including one woman clad in dark blue and gold rugby shirt, which read “team Mum,” and a matching needlepoint headband.

“It makes you want to give it your all, even when they have people cheering against you,” Judd said. “It makes you want to try to go the extra bit.”

Note: This article was edited from its print version to reflect the fact that Spencer Kurn's quote referred to Trinity's run, not Penn's.

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