New Haven, CT — This weekend, Yale University hosted the annual Ivy League Scrimmages. Although the results do not count towards national or Ivy League rankings, the event allows players from the eight Ivy League schools to compete and it gives the squash world an idea of the strength of the Ivy League teams.
For the first time in Columbia history, the school sent varsity teams to the Ivy League Scrimmages. The men’s team, coached by Jacques Swanepoel, made their second Ivy League Scrimmages appearance, while Kelsey Engman coached the women’s team in their fourth trip to the event. Both Lions’ squads were winless in the event; however, the teams showed remarkable improvement from last year.
“The people there said that they are surprised that in one year we could make such a big change,” Engman told the Columbia Spectator. “Last year we really just got killed in Ivy tournaments, and this year it was completely different.” Brown defeated both Columbia squads on the final day of the scrimmages.
For the men, Harvard surprised Princeton with a 5-4 victory on Saturday. The Tigers were competing without Todd Harrity, the runner-up in last season’s Pool Trophy (Individual Championship) finals. Harrity was in Guatemala qualifying for the Pan Am Games.
Harvard faced Yale in the men’s final on Saturday. Mike Way, the new Harvard coach, lead the Crimson for the first time in a college event. Yale defeated Harvard 8-1, but the Crimson’s young players gained valuable experience.
In the women’s finals, Yale faced Harvard, last season’s national champion. The Crimson were undefeated last season. Granted, this was a scrimmage, but the Bulldogs surprised many by defeating Harvard 6-3.
If the scrimmages are any indication, the Ivy League and college squash are in for an exciting season as there is incredible parity between the teams.
Men’s Results for the 2010 Ivy League Scrimmages:
- Yale
- Harvard
- Princeton
- Cornell
- Dartmouth
- Penn
- Brown
- Columbia
Women’s Results for the 2010 Ivy League Scrimmages:
- Yale
- Harvard
- Penn
- Princeton
- Dartmouth
- Cornell
- Brown
- Columbia
