M. Squash ‘A’ Team Takes 5th Place at 5-Man

In a season as short as squash’s, every match counts. Even those matches that don’t affect the record may also be meaningful because of the experience that can be applied later.

Harvard gained such experience over the weekend at the USSRA 5-Man Team Championships. The Crimson fielded two five-person teams in New Haven, Conn., where collegiate and national-level squads faced off in a three-day tournament.

In the end, Harvard’s A team took fifth place, while the B team did not fare as well, suffering elimination after losing its first two matches of the tournament.

Harvard managed to put forth a good showing at the tournament despite lacking one of its better players, freshman Richard Hill. Hill is currently representing Singapore at the South East Asia Games.

Both teams were scheduled to play on Friday but received byes after the teams they were scheduled to play did not show up. Consequently, the two squads had their first matches on Saturday.

The Harvard A team took the court yesterday for the final in the consolation matches against the U.S. Men’s Junior Squash Team. The squad consisted of the nation’s best squash players under the age of 19.

Nevertheless, sophomore Colin West and juniors Verdi DiSesa and Niko Hrdy put up wins to snatch the 3-2 victory.

Both DiSesa and Hrdy took their victories in straight games, while the battle in the No. 1 position proved to be more of a challenge for Harvard. West lost the first game to Todd Harrity but answered back in the next game. West then found himself with his back against the wall as Harrity moved ahead, 2-1. But West composed himself and dug out a tough triumph, securing a Harvard win.

In the previous matchup, the A team squared off against Ivy League rival Yale. Although it did not count as an official league contest, much could still be gained in the match. The Bulldogs had the home-court advantage going in, but the Crimson pulled out a 3-2 victory with solid play from the top three once again.

“That one was a very good game; it is always good when we play Yale,” West said. “They are going to be one of our main competitions this year. It wasn’t an official regular-season match, so it was really about getting match play considering we have such a young team.”

The trio of West, DiSesa, and Hrdy won at the top three flights, dropping only one game amongst the three of them.

The high level of talent encountered will help the younger members of the A team, who stepped up from their usual positions. Freshman J. Reed Endresen and sophomore Franklin Cohen will become valuable assets later in the season.

“That is going to come in handy when playing later,” DiSesa said. “[They] will have that experience to draw on later when playing better players.”

With a little under two months before its next scheduled competitive match, Harvard will have plenty of time to think about what it has learned and how to apply it. With an unbeaten record, the men have much to protect.

—Staff writer Vincent R. Oletu can be reached at voletu@fas.harvard.edu.