Princeton Crushes Undefeated Yale 8-1, Gains Inside Track On Ivy Men's Title
from Princeton Athletic Communications
Chris Callis-Kenneth Chan, photo Beverly Schaefer
February 4, 2012 - After two years of heartbreakingly close losses to eventual Ivy League champion Yale, the third-ranked Princeton men's squash team wasn't in any mood for drama Saturday afternoon. The Tigers scored an 8-1 victory over top-ranked Yale to move to 9-1 overall and 4-0 in the Ivy League.
The win could also pay huge benefits in two weeks, when Princeton hosts the 2012 CSA national team championships. Yale, Trinity and Princeton both went 1-1 in their own triangle, but the 8-1 victory should move Princeton past the Bulldogs for the second seed in the championships. With dangerous teams like Rochester and Cornell lurking as possible sixth seeds, it keeps Princeton out of a potential quarterfinal marathon.
But with other matches still to play out, the CSA team championships can wait. It's been three years since Princeton has won an Ivy League title in men's squash, but the Tigers have put themselves in position to bring the title home.
"I am so pleased with how we played today," said head coach Bob Callahan, who has led Princeton to nine Ivy League titles in his brilliant career. "The guys came out focused and ready, and they played a great match against a very tough Yale team."
Playing in a three-shift format at the Jadwin Squash Courts, Princeton got out to a 2-1 lead with wins from freshman Tyler Osborne and senior Clay Blackiston. Osborne scored a 3-0 win over Richard Dodd, including a 12-10 win in the second game. Blackiston sprinted out in the first two games at No. 6, and he held off Neil Martin 12-10 in the third for the victory. Blackiston was one of two Princeton players to win in the Tigers' 7-2 loss to Trinity last Wednesday, so the senior is picking the perfect time to play his best squash.
Yale got on the board when Joseph Roberts won three tight games at the No. 9 spot over Ash Egan. Princeton was determined to build on its 2-1 lead, and it did so on Court 1. Senior Chris Callis outlasted former Yale No. 1 Kenneth Chan 11-9 in a tight first game at No. 2, and then he took over the match. Wins of 11-5 and 11-4 gave Callis a 3-0 win and moved Princeton's lead to 3-1.
While both the No. 5 and No. 8 matches were still going on, Princeton junior Todd Harrity went out and took care of business. Building on whatever momentum Callis left on the main court, the 2011 individual national champion dropped only five points in an 11-0, 11-1, 11-4 victory over Hywel Robinson at the No. 1 spot.
That left Princeton on the verge of victory, but Callahan knew that Yale was deep with talent and hoped to finish the match as soon as possible. Junior Steve Harrington led 2-0 at No. 8, but he found himself in a deep hole in the third game. Instead of waiting for the fourth, Harrington bore down and forced extra points against Samuel Clayman. When he finally ended the game 14-12, he gave the Tigers an insurmountable 5-1 edge.
There was still plenty of squash to be played, and the most dramatic matches were still to come. Freshman Samuel Kang, playing at the No. 5 spot, trailed 2-1 to Ryan Dowd before claiming wins of 11-8 and 11-9 to stay perfect in Ivy League play.
Sophomore Dylan Ward remained Princeton's only unbeaten player with a 3-2 victory over Robert Berner at the No. 7 spot. Ward led 2-0, but Berner fought back and pushed Ward deep into the fourth. With the toughness he showed in clinching the 5-4 win at Harvard in January, Ward found a finishing touch and ended the match with an 11-8 victory.
The last match was at No. 4, where senior co-captain Kelly Shannon scored wins of 11-5 and 11-6 to finish a 3-1 win. Like Callis, Shannon has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his career, but both players earned important wins in Princeton's first victory over a top-ranked team in more than a decade.
They need just two wins in their final three Ivy League matches (home Sunday vs. Brown, home Feb. 10 vs. Cornell, and Feb. 12 at Columbia) to clinch at least a share of the Ivy League title. Three wins would give Princeton an outright title.
"I'm especially excited for our seniors," Callahan said. "Chris, Kelly and Clay were all able to get wins for us today. They wanted to end their careers with an Ivy League title, and they are in position to get that done now."
Princeton 8, Yale 1
1 - Todd Harrity (P) d. Hywel Robinson 0,1,4
2 - Chris Callis (P) d. Kenneth Chan 9,5,4
3 - Tyler Osborne (P) d. Richard Dodd 3,10,6
4 - Kelly Shannon (P) d. John Roberts 3,(6),5,6
5 - Samuel Kang (P) d. Ryan Dowd (8),3,(5),8,9
6 - Clay Blackiston (P) d. Neil Martin 3,2,10
7 - Dylan Ward (P) d. Robert Berner 7,6,(5),(9),8
8 - Steve Harrington (P) d. Samuel Clayman 7,9,12
9 - Joseph Roberts (Y) d. Ash Egan 9,9,11
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