MEN'S SQUASH: Hard work has paid off for Vincent

When Ed Vincent walked into Penn's Ringe Courts four years ago, he knew he wanted to play squash. What he didn't know is if squash would want him. Vincent, who also played football and tennis at the Delbarton School in Morristown, N.J., had only picked up the sport two year earlier as junior in high school. Walking on to the Quakers' home courts that day, Vincent brought more desire than experience. But that was enough to earn him the second-to-last spot on the team as a freshman. "His squash game wasn't that developed," said Penn co-captain Craig Rappaport, who joined the team at the same time as Vincent. "But I could already tell he was one of the hardest workers." Dedication is usually the first thing his teammates and coaches mention when asked about Vincent, who currently plays in the No. 9 position. "He gives 110 percent all the time," junior Leif Berquist said. "He's the only one who doesn't mind going flat out on the ground [to make a shot]." "He does it all," Quakers coach Ned Edwards said. "He makes every effort to support the team above and beyond the call of duty." Vincent's climb to the varsity level was a slow but steady process. After spending his freshman year at the bottom of the lineup, Vincent decided to make squash a priority in his life -- an ambitious decision considering he was in the demanding management and technology program and a brother in the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. "There were times when it seemed overwhelming," Vincent said. "But there was nothing I wanted to give up." During his sophomore year, Vincent became a team manager in addition to playing, which meant he traveled with the team. It was after a summer of hard work that Vincent finally broke into the top nine his junior year. Since then, he has played consistently around the bottom of the varsity lineup. His dedication impressed the coaches enough last year that he received a team award. "It was for the player who did the most to bolster and support the team in spirit and practicality," Edwards said. "Eddie's the driving force of the team." Vincent was motivated by the example of Paul Arrouet, who had attended Delbarton with Vincent and captained the Quakers during Vincent's freshman year. "Paul never complained about running to the Art Museum on freezing cold mornings," Vincent said. "I looked up to him. He made me want to stick with squash." This year, Vincent has compiled a 5-1 personal record in spite of a hamstring injury that kept him out of action for the first few weeks of the season. Vincent also has the distinction of being the only player on the team to record victories against both Harvard and Princeton. His win at Harvard was one of biggest of the year for the Quakers. After the top 8 players for Penn had all lost, Vincent was still on the court. Both teams crowded into the gallery to watch Vincent, who eventually upset the Crimson's Jake Hollinger for first Penn individual victory over a Harvard player in the last four years. "It was the best I ever felt after a Harvard match," Edwards said. Vincent attributed some of his success at Harvard to his only loss this year, a 3-1 defeat against Williams. "That was a turning point for me," he said. "It really motivated me to work harder, and I used it as a building block for Harvard." Vincent's success has come during what has been one of the Quakers' best seasons in the past few years, as Penn's veteran team hopes by season's end to improve on last year's No. 5 national ranking. In a season of high expectations, Vincent has certainly done his part. "He's consistently been one of the hardest workers for four years," Penn co-captain Andrew Braff said. "It's great to see all his effort paying off."