M. Squash pleased with fifth-place finish at ISAs

After an up and down season with great expectations at the beginning and then a midseason slump, the Penn men's squash team finally put the past behind it and simply got the job done. In what Penn coach Ned Edwards called "one of the greatest times I've had since I've been here," the Quakers finished fifth out of 40 teams in the ISA Championships over the weekend, ending the season on a strong note. The team played three matches over the weekend, losing to No. 3 Princeton 8-1, but then defeating Williams 5-4 and Yale 8-1. Princeton, which ended up finishing second overall, was as tough as it was during the regular season when it shut out Penn. The only Quakers victory was by No. 3 Craig Rappaport, who beat Tigers captain Ed Fishman in four close games. After the Princeton match, the Quakers faced No. 7 Williams, which had lost to Western Ontario, in the consolation bracket. The score was tied 4-4 and the deciding match was played by No. 4 Ian Childs, who won in five games after being faced with two match balls against. Penn next faced Ivy rival Yale and defeated the Elis handily. The only loss was suffered by junior Andrew Braff, who was playing in the No. 1 position after defeating teammate Steve Scharff in the previous week's challenge matches. The whole team was thrilled by the way it performed in the pressure-filled atmosphere. Edwards attributed it partly to the different lineups the Quakers used. In addition to Braff playing at No. 1, sophomore Leif Bergquist moved up to the No. 9 spot after being No. 10 for most of the season. "It was definitely the right lineup in that it reflected how they were playing at the time," Edwards said. After the last match of the regular season against Princeton, Edwards eased up on his players in practice, and the whole team received a much-needed break. This philosophy seemed to do the trick. The players were much looser and more focused going into this weekend than they had been in the past. "We took a little pressure off ourselves and played with a more relaxed intensity," Braff said. "We weren't as nervous as we were in some of our other matches, and everyone played better as a result." In addition to the success they attained over the weekend, the Quakers also received a number of side awards. They were nominated for the Intercollegiate Squash Sportsmanship Award, which honors sportsmanship throughout the entire regular season. The award went to Western Ontario. Rappaport, who was the only Quaker to go undefeated in the championships, was honored for his play over the weekend by being named Penn's Athlete of the Week. "Craig did a great job this weekend, but I think the award was cumulative. He has been a diligent and superb captain throughout the entire year," Edwards said. This is the end of the season for all but Scharff, Braff, and Rappaport, who travel to Williams this weekend to compete in the ISA Individuals. Edwards looks back on the year as a whole with positive memories. "I couldn't be happier," he said. "We finished as well as we possibly could have, and the guys recovered tremendously well from the disappointments during the regular season." But most importantly, the whole team learned over the weekend that it's not how you start that matters, but how you finish.