M. Squash faces vast changes

Normally, the Penn men's squash team would have nothing to worry about in its match against Navy. Normally, the Quakers have little trouble with the Midshipmen, who they defeated 6-3 last season. Normally, sophomore Jamie White's statement, made last week, that "Navy is just a warm-up match for our bigger Dartmouth and Harvard matches," would be perfectly believable. But there is absolutely nothing normal about the state of the Penn squash team right now. When the Midshipmen (9-5) arrive at the Ringe Courts for today's match, they will encounter a Quakers team vastly changed since last week. The Red and Blue no longer have the assistance of junior Chuck Braff and senior Shams Mistry -- two of the Quakers' top three players -- as both decided Friday to leave the team. "Chuck and Shams are very good squash players," said Penn coach Jim Masland. "We had our discussions about different issues and.? these decisions came out of that. I don't feel comfortable going into details." Masland refused to either reveal or speculate on the reasons for the players' departures. For Braff, this is the second time in as many years that he will be leaving the Quakers midway through the season. Last year, he was suspended by Masland. This time around, however, it was Braff who made the decision that it was time to go. "I quit for a number of reasons," Braff said. "Being a varsity athlete is a huge time commitment and it becomes very tedious when you feel you are working hard with no improvement." "I believe that this came about because of a difference in opinion about how practice should be run," he added. "I no longer wanted to be a part of a program that is headed, I feel, in the wrong direction." For Mistry, this too will be his second straight year watching the Quakers compete as an outsider. Last year he was sidelined for the entire season with an injury. Mistry chose to pinpoint the team itself -- and his belief that the players are not behaving as a cohesive unit -- as the reason he chose to give up squash. "I think the team is not coordinated; they are not together," Mistry said. "It was making me frustrated." Braff, on the other hand, was very clear about the fact that he does not harbor any hard feelings toward the other members of his team. The 12 remaining Quakers must now deal with the shattering loss of two of the team's top players, while three important matches -- Navy, Dartmouth and Harvard -- loom on the horizon. The Quakers' goal of finishing among the nation's top eight teams now seems like a long-lost dream. "Losing Shams and Chuck will certainly hurt the team because that pushes everyone up two spots and we're playing above our level," captain Andrew Hopkins said. The effects of losing Braff and Mistry will be felt throughout the Quaker ladder. "We're going to have a hard time against Navy when normally we wouldn't have and it's going to be nearly impossible against Dartmouth," sophomore Peter Withstandley said. While the remainder of the season may be an uphill battle, the team is far from willing to concede defeat. "The team is practicing pretty well, and everyone is in a mindset to play well and beat Navy," Withstandley added. For the Quakers, a win at today's match would be a testament to their ability to bounce back and overcome adversity. "We have to make the most of what we have and salvage our season," senior Walter Tomenson said. "And we're going to do it."