Being No. 5 in the nation not enough for Quakers

After ending last season ranked No. 5 in the country, the highest finish for the men's squash team in over 10 years, it would be easy for the Quakers to enter the season complacent, even cocky.

For two-time All-American junior Gilly Lane and the rest of a young Penn squad, nothing could be further from the truth.

"We were disappointed," Lane said of the team's fifth-place finish at the end-of-season tournament. "We were ranked No. 4 going into the tournament and we finished No. 5."

Head coach Craig Thorpe-Clark might not share in this disappointment, but he is not content with just matching last year's finish.

"We're trying to build off the last couple of years where we've had good seasons," Thorpe-Clark said. He added that the team had to "maintain our fifth position and challenge the top four teams."

But for a team on which sophomores and freshmen make up half of the roster, this will be no walk in the park.

Even after losing four seniors to graduation, including 2004 All-American Rich Repetto, the team remains positive and is confident it will be able to succeed despite its lack of experience.

"We lost a lot of experience and good players," Thorpe-Clark said. "Some of the freshmen can be real contributors to the team, but they're still freshmen."

Playing a crucial role in the development and success of the young team will be captains Lane and senior Jacob Himmelrich, who noted that the team has a much different dynamic with so many young players.

"The feeling last year was going into every match we knew how everyone was going to perform," Himmelrich said. "While we don't have as much certainty in our lineup, we are excited about the potential that some of our freshman have, given the chance they have to make a contribution."

Along with fellow senior Colby Emerson, the only classmate he has on the team, Himmelrich will have to use his three years of collegiate squash experience to guide the team.

"I think part of my role is kind of helping the freshmen make the adjustment from junior squash to college squash and realize the amount of dedication and hard work that's needed to be successful," Himmelrich said.

Behind this solid, albeit small core of veterans lies a very promising group of young players.

"We're looking to the younger guys to be impact players in the top nine," Thorpe-Clark said. Sophomore "Lee Rosen is our number two player, he has great potential; Spencer Kurn, another sophomore. We've got some good talent, good experience."

But for the upcoming season, the Quakers may live and die by Lane's play, relying not only on how he performs from the No. 1 spot, but also how he pushes the rest of the team.

As a top-10 intercollegiate player, Lane hopes to impart his winning philosophy on the rest of the Penn team.

"We're always shooting for the top," Lane said. "To play well we have to win the matches we're supposed to win and shoot for that No. 4 ranking if we can."

With some solid, experienced veterans and an explosive corps of young talent behind him, it is not hard to believe that Lane can lead them there.

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