Repetto reaches quarterfinals at Trinity

Three men's squash players traveled to Hartford this weekend to compete in the "A" division of the Intercollegiate Squash Association Individual championships at Trinity College. One Quakers athlete -- sophomore Richard Repetto -- returned to Philadelphia as a second-time first-team All-American. After auspicious showings in the first two rounds, things were going exactly as Repetto had planned. Repetto -- the No. 9 seed --first outlasted No. 24 Afhab Mathur of Yale. He then avenged last weekend's disheartening loss to Cornell's No. 8 Matt Serediak, beating him convincingly in three straight games. The second-round victory, however, thrust him into an unenviable position. No one in American college squash has defeated, or even come close to defeating, Princeton's precocious Egyptian freshman Yasser El-Halaby. Unfortunately for Penn, Repetto would be yet another victim on Yasser's path to the tournament crown. Repetto, who knew immediately when he saw the draw that El-Halaby would stand in his way of reaching the semifinals, set a realistic goal of reaching the quarterfinals. "I didn't mind going down to a kid like Yasser," Repetto said. "He's a great player. I did the best I could." Penn co-captain Sam Miller -- the No. 32 seed -- empathized with Repetto's plight, having faced the same daunting task in his first round match, a match which pitted experience against youth. Although the senior co-captain suffered the same result as Repetto, he -- ironically for a seasoned veteran losing to a freshman -- viewed the defeat as a "learning experience." "You don't get to play someone of that caliber too often," he said. Still, using four years of experience as his most potent weapon, Miller gave El-Halaby some first round jitters. "I surprised myself and a lot of other people with how many points I got off him," Miller said. "He certainly had to play harder than he wanted to to win." Penn freshman Jacob Himmlerich faced an almost equally formidable opponent in his first round match . Himmelrich -- the No. 31 seed -- took on No. 2 Bernardo Samper of Trinity. Himmelrich succumbed to the defending national champion in three straight games. However, his hard-fought effort may have weakened Samper's efforts in subsequent matches and prevented him from competing to defend his title. In his semifinal match against No. 3 Will Evans of Princeton, Samper defaulted due to leg cramps. Samper's pains resulted in an all Princeton final -- the first example of this since two Tigers competed for the championship in 1988. While Penn's season came to an end with three losses, the Quakers are pleased with the season on the whole. With a strong nucleus of young talent, including sophomore Repetto and freshman Himmelrich, whom Miller says "is going to be good," Penn expects to see even more success in the near future. "This is the best season for me and the team," Miller said of his senior season with the Quakers. "One or two matches can't negate an awesome season."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.