M. Squash finishes year in solid fashion

After a year of ups and downs, four members of the Penn men's squash team were able to enjoy their spring break in Massachusetts.

The Quakers sent a member from each class to the Individual Championships in Amherst, Mass., on March 3, and brought in fairly impressive results.

Junior captain Gilly Lane reached the quarterfinals and sophomore Lee Rosen made it to the round of 16 in the top tier.

Senior captain Jacob Himmelrich and freshman Andrew Zimmerman played in the second-tier bracket. Himmelrich fell in the finals to Trinity's Simba Muhwati in his final collegiate match.

Lane, who finished in the top eight in the tournament and earned a spot on the All-Ivy first team, was pleased with the team's performance.

"I think for the most part it ended positively," Lane said. "Everyone finished on a good note."

Closing out strong may help dull some of the pain that the Quakers experienced at the end of the season in their second loss to Western Ontario.

Although Penn had a number of solid showings, several deflating losses turned the season into something of a roller coaster ride.

"It was kind of up and down," Lane said. "I feel like everyone feels dejected after losing to Western.

But "everyone walked away positive."

Despite the Quakers' slipping behind Western Ontario in the final rankings, Coach Craig Thorpe-Clark is happy with the Red and Blue's performance this year.

"I thought the interesting thing about this season was that a lot of players stepped up to the plate," Thorpe-Clark said, adding that the Quakers banded together after two of their top players went down with shoulder injuries.

It was "very challenging and very satisfying," he added.

Thorpe-Clark may not have been satisfied before the Individuals, but he and the Quakers now have good reason to be satisfied with their players' showing.

Not only did Himmelrich continue his thrilling play to the end his career, but Lee Rosen and Gilly Lane each scored upsets that will likely give them a push up in the final individual rankings.

After placing in the final eight, Lane is in a good position to crack the All-American first team.

This season may not have been a smooth ride for Lane and the Red and Blue, but the Quakers had reason to be proud after the Individual Championships.

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