I'd like to say something bad about this year's Harvard men's squash team. I'd like to say something bad because the racquetmen finished with an 8-2 record instead of the traditional 10-0. I'd like to say something bad because they finished third in the country instead of the traditional first. I'd like to say something bad because they lost to both Princeton and Pennsylvania, marking the first time since The War (and I don't mean Vietnam) that a Crimson racquet squad has lost two matches in one season.
But I'm not going to say it, any of it, because the racquetment weren't bad. In fact, they were good, really good, just not as good as the "traditional" Crimson national title teams that used to parade annually through Hemenway. Sure, they lost two matches. But they still finished third in the nation and, except for the Penn debacle, they easily surpassed last year's performance. "As a team, we were very strong, and individually, we all improved," John Meller, Crimson number six man, reflected recently, "and that is more important that dropping a notch in the standings."
The season started off well for the Crimson. The racquetmen opened the year against Amherst and yawned their way to a 9-0 win. They followed up that performance with identical 9-zip squashings of a potentially-strong Army squad and a predictably-weak Trinity nine. After the Christmas break, Harvard ousted Williams 7-2, setting the stage for "The Weekend," a double-bagger road trip against Navy and Princeton.
After blanking Navy, the Crimson met Princeton for the national title and a chance to avenge last year's slaughter at Hemenway. Things went well at first, with number one man Mike Desaulniers and nine man John Heller notching early victories. The Tiger's depth proved too much in the end, however, as they roared back to win it all, 6-3.
The Crimson travelled to Penn the following weekend in poor mental condition, a result of fatigue and post-Princeton let-down. The outcome was a 1-3 loss to the Quakers, the only truly bad part of this "bad" season. The key to the defeat was the absence of Desaulniers, who had undergone foot surgery following the Princeton encounter. As Reese reflected later, "Losing the 'D' was critical. His presence means one match is in the bag and, also, having a player of that caliber makes you feel a little more impregnable." Without Desaulniers, who was recently elected captain of next year's squad, the Quakers took the match and earned the right to call themselves number two.
The racquetmen were quick to recover from the back-to-back losses and finished the season with victories over MIT, Dartmouth and Yale and a strong showing in the national six-man championships. But the losses to Penn and Princeton seem indelible and leave a question mark on the possibilities of a Crimson national title next year or in the near future.
In preparing for next season, coach Fish and his charges are, and should be, considering two things. The first is that after three consecutive years of losing to Princeton the Harvard squash dynasty is definitely over and it's about time that its partner, overconfidence, depart with it. From now on, any belief in the innate greatness of the Crimson racquetmen can only harm the team and certainly harmed them this year. As Reese noted, "If we were in fact lacking something this year, it probably has something to do with the attitude that 'Harvard is best.' I think there will be a much better attitude next year."
The second, and most important, consideration is who will replace departing seniors John Heller, John Fishwick, Jeff Secrest and captain John Havens. Although the admissions slips have yet to go out of Byerly Hall, there are several potential members of the Class of '83 who Desaulniers feels have varsity potential. With their arrival and a new team attitued, the now "good" Crimson squash team may once again be "great."
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