As winter approaches and the hockey and basketball teams prepare to represent Harvard, there is a lesser-known winter sporting event that Harvard has traditionally and perpetually dominated--squash.

Few teams are as highly decorated as Harvard men's and women's squash. Combined, these two teams have amassed 11 national championship in the past six years alone, and only two Crimson losses stand next to 115 regular-season victories.

Consequent to their tradition of excellence, both teams have often had lofty expectations placed upon them by their national audience--expectations of championships which have been met more often than not in recent years. This season, however, neither the men nor the women have been picked No. 1 by the preseason polls, and the Crimson is determined to reclaim the respect to which it has grown accustomed.

Accordingly, both the men and women are committed to reinventing their respective programs, quietly establishing themselves as two of the best-conditioned squash teams in the nation.

"We are all literally dedicating the majority of our days, both on and off the court, to the pursuit of excellence in squash," said sophomore All-American Deepak Abraham. "If we lose this year it will not be for want of effort."

With such dedication, the 1998-99 season promises to be a renaissance year for the Harvard squash program.

The women return eight of nine players from a team that finished second in the nation last year to Princeton. Led by a strong core of six seniors, the women are looking to reclaim the national title that eluded them last season for the first time in seven years.

"This is an exciting year for us," said co-captain Stephanie Teaford. "The season holds a lot of potential because of our new courts, a great new assistant coach and several very strong freshmen."

The women will be aided in their pursuit with the addition of freshmen Margaret Elias, Colby Hall and Carlin Wing, all of whom figure to play prominent roles in the Crimson's successes this year.

The men's squad, defending national co-champions, loses three marquee players to graduation but remains unabashedly optimistic about this year's outlook.

"With a young and talented team determined to carry on a successful tradition, the season looks promising," said junior co-captain and All-American Tim Wyant.

There are, in fact, four new young talents joining the men in their efforts this season--freshmen Pete Karlen, Nano Whitman, Dave Barry and sophomore transfer Gray Witcher. The men will look to their blend of newcomers and veterans to lead them in pursuit of their ninth consecutive national championship.

The biggest challenge to that goal should come from preseason favorite Trinity, the team that snapped Harvard's 89-match winning streak last year. The Crimson exacted its revenge on the Bantams with a 5-4 victory in the finals of the NISRA team championships and hopes for a repeat performance this season.

In addition to unprecedented degrees of competition, Harvard squash has an impressive new home to showcase its talent. The Murr Athletic Center, located directly in front of The Stadium, has 16 international glass-back courts and a gallery that seats upwards of 500 spectators.

This palatial facility will play host to both the men's and women's team national championships at the end of the season in late February, a consideration which has not escaped the attention of Harvard Coach Bill Doyle.

"Playing across the river with the other programs will prove a fantastic help," Doyle said. "The new facility should attract more fans for us than in years past, and it always helps to have a packed house to play in front of."

The Crimson's season officially gets under way on Friday at the Murr Center, where the men will face off against Navy, MIT, and Brown at 3, 5 and 7 p.m. respectively. The women will play Brown at 5 p.m. and Smith College at 7 p.m.