The competition may not have been as tough as the Ivy League, but the Penn squash team's top dogs blew through it anyway.
The Quakers left a sizable imprint on the Under-23 National Championships on Sunday in New York, with senior Lee Rosen conquering the men's bracket and sophomore Kristen Lange claiming the women's crown.
"It's a real boost for both programs," said men's coach Craig Thorpe-Clark. "It says we have the best players in the country coming to Penn."
The top seed in a 32-man field, Rosen dropped only one game en route to his tournament title, defeating Yale freshman John Fulham 9-2, 9-3, 9-7 in the championship match.
"When you set goals for yourself and then accomplish them, it feels good not to fall short," Rosen said. "I've won some big tournaments in my life, but this is definitely one of the more gratifying ones."
Thorpe-Clark attributes much of Rosen's success to his standout quickness, though he admits that being the top seed "certainly gave [Rosen] more swagger" over the course of the tournament.
The path was not nearly as smooth for Lange on the women's side, but the result was the same. Also the top seed in her bracket, Lange cruised through her first match, losing only five points in total.
In both the semis and the finals, however, she was forced to overcome a 0-1 deficit before prevailing in four games. Julie Cerullo, a 16-year old from New York who beat Penn's Britt Hebden earlier in the tournament, gave Lange the most trouble of the day in the finale.
"She's had an incredible run over the past year, and it didn't surprise me that she won," women's coach Jack Wyant said. "She's immensely talented, and she's a hard-working kid who performs well when there's a lot on the line."
As far as Wyant is concerned, Lange is only getting better.
"While it was tremendous that she won the tournament, I'd be quick to point out to anybody that it's early in the season, and she's far from her peak."
Wyant brought his team to a solid 2-seed in last year's Howe Cup, while Thorpe-Clark's men's team finished 5th in the CSA National Championships.
Both teams open their seasons on November 10th with the Ivy Scrimmage, held annually at Yale.
