W. Squash Drops Howe Cup Final To Tigers; Loss Only Blemish on 12-1 Campaign

After Princeton ended the Harvard women's squash team's six year reign as national champions last year, the Crimson were determined to return to the top of the hill this season.

With the No. 1 ranking for most of the year, the Howe Cup--college squash's national championship--appeared to be returning to Cambridge.

Despite dominating most of the season, the Crimson (12-1) let the national title slip through its fingers. No. 2 Princeton played the spoiler once again, grabbing the Cup from Harvard by winning a 5-4 nailbiter.

Though it failed to reclaim Howe glory, the Crimson rebounded to find what silver lining remained available.

After losing the national crown to Princeton, Harvard won the Ivy League championship with an amazing 9-0 victory over the Yale Bulldogs.

Demonstrating that Harvard did contain championship material, each Crimson player won her match by the score of 3-0 to bring home the Ivy title.

Strengthening its belief that the Crimson, Howe Cup or not, is the best squash team in the nation, all fifteen players on the team's roster played during the championship match--a rarity in a sport in which teams usually play only nine players.

"We all feel great about [winning the championship]," said sophomore Virginia Brown. "We're excited about how we ended the season."

Seven seniors who played integral roles in the team's league championships will look upon the Ivy League title as a bitter-sweet tribute to their four years as a national squash powerhouse.

"Some of us may feel as if our careers are over, but we've all had a great four years," said senior Leah Ramella.

Co-captains Brooke Herlihy (No. 2) and Stephanie Teaford (No. 3) led a talented senior class that won two championships. Ramella, Lindsay Wilber, Ilana Eisenstein, Vanessa Hoerrman and Katie Wallach will also close the door on their Harvard careers this year.

Herlihy, who won All-American and All-Ivy honors in 1997, has earned the right to be considered as one of the greatest squash players in school history. During both her freshman and sophomore years, Herlihy received Second Team All-American accolades and has led the team both by example and by word.

The departure of Teaford, who spent most of the season in the No. 3 position, will also pose a great loss for Harvard. She received Second Team All-American honors during her freshman and junior years and played an integral part in Harvard's two national championships.

In addition to the loss of seven seniors, the Crimson also witnessed at the end of the season the resignation of Head Coach Bill Doyle, who had guided both the men's and women's squash teams for the past seven seasons.

In his capacity as women's coach, Doyle amassed an 86-3 record, five WISRA championships, five Howe Cups and five Ivy League titles.

Though the loss of seven seniors and a brilliant coach looms over next season like a gray cloud, another silver lining appears on the horizon.

The class of 2002 has kept the flame of hope burning for Crimson fans. Margaret Elias, who had been the No. 2 player in the country as a high school senior, blossomed in the No. 1 slot for Harvard this year.

First-year teammate Carlin Wing also found her niche in the No. 4 slot behind Elias, Herlihy and Teaford. Her consistent and powerful play this season marked her as one of the Crimson's fittest players. After the departure of Herlihy and Teaford, the team will begin to look to both Elias and Wing for leadership.

Another welcomed surprise to the Harvard line-up was the emergence of first-year Colby Hall in the No. 6 slot. In the Crimson's heartbreaking Howe Cup loss, Hall managed to sweep Princeton's Emily Eynon in three games.

The door may be closed for seven irreplaceable Harvard seniors, but the rest of the women's squash team will attempt to find both a resurgence and redemption in 2000.