Racquetmen Aim for Second National Title, Must Overcome Princeton, Toronto Squads

When the Harvard men's basketball squad ties for the Ivy league lead, the whole University knows. But when the Harvard men's squash team wins a national championship, nobody notices.

This team is appreciated far too little. "Squash," you scoff, "Big deal, hitting a little ball around a square room with a glorified badminton racquet."

But squash isn't as easy as you think. Try hitting for a while. The ball doesn't bounce, and the angles of the game are hard to master. Your racquet will take a beating as you smash it against the walls, trying to dig the ball out of the corners.

But when the Crimson racquetmen take the court, the ball seems to be jetpropelled. Sometimes it moves so fast it's impossible to spot. These guys know what they're doing. Whether they smash the ball or use finesse, they know all the angles.

Much of the credit for the team's success must go to Coach Dave Fish, considered one of the country's foremost authorities on squash, and only the third coach the Harvard men's squash team has ever had.

Fish works with all of his players individually. He gets on the court, analyzes their games, detects the flaws in their play, and helps them develop effective match strategies.

Harvard has probably the best group of amateur squash players in the country. Last year they won three national championships, and this weekend they are at Navy, shooting for their second team title of the season.

All these national championships can become confusing. The USSRAs are a five-man team tournament. Last year the racquetmen won this one. This year they lost to the Mexican National Team in the finals.

The nine-man championship is awarded to the college team with the best season record, and because Harvard finished the year unbeaten in dual matches, it has already snagged this honor.

The six-man MISRA title is more complicated. The tournament is divided into three classes, with two players from every team in each class. The players gain a point for every match they win as they advance through the field. A loss knocks them out of the tournament.

After the champion of each class is decided, the team whose players have accumulated the most total points is declared the winner.

Last year, the Crimson won all three divisions and came away with the title. It is favored to repeat this weekend in Annapolis but will face some still competition from Princeton and the University of Toronto.

Class A

The USSRA and MISRA singles champion, sophomore Kenton Jernigan, will be joined in class A by junior David Boyum, who is still recovering from a fractured wrist. If Boyum is able to play effectively, the two should meet in the finals for the second year in a row. Jernigan will certainly be there.

The B class features the Crimson's Richard Jackson and Co-Captain Jim Lubowitz. Both played well against Princeton last weekend and should fare well again in Annapolis. Jackson could take the laurels for the class.

Class C

And in class C, Harvard will be represented by Co-Captain Spencer Brog and junior Peter Dinneen. The duo will be challenged by Princeton's Bill Ullman and John Buckner, but the Crimson should end up on top in this division as well.

And if all goes as planned, the racquetmen should return to Cambridge Sunday night as Intercollegiate Squash Racquet Association national champions--again.