No. 5 Harvard Returns to Action, Hosts No. 2 Rochester Saturday

Pictured: Freshman Zeke Scherl owns a 2-2 record at the No. 3 position.
Photo courtesy: Gil Talbot Photography

The Particulars:
The No. 5 Harvard men’s squash team enters the second half of the season with an unblemished 4-0 record and hosts No. 2 Rochester at the Barnaby Courts. The Yellowjackets boasted a 4-1 record heading into yesterday’s match at No. 1 Trinity.

Last Time Out:
The Crimson improved its Ivy League record to 3-0 by downing Ancient Eight rival Cornell, 6-3, Dec. 5. Colin West earned a 3-0 victory at the No. 1 slot, while J. Reed Endresen won in three straight games at the No. 4 position.

About Harvard:
Colin West is one of five Harvard players who are undefeated on the season, as he boasts a 4-0 record at the No. 1 position. Richard Hill is a perfect 4-0 at the No. 2 spot, while J. Reed Endresen and Jason Michas are 4-0 at the No. 4 and 5 slots, respectively. At the No. 10 position, Charles Gertler owns a 3-0 mark.

About Rochester:
The Yellowjackets opened the year with a 4-0 start, but fell in a home match to No. 4 Yale, 6-3, Jan. 10. Rochester had previously defeated Hobart and Vassar by 9-0 scores, St. Lawrence, 8-1, and Princeton by a 5-4 margin Dec. 13. In the loss to Yale, Benjamin Fischer picked up a victory at the No. 1 slot, while Jim Bristow and Hameed Ahmed won at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, against their opponents.

Last Year’s Meeting:
Harvard edged Rochester, 5-4, in a home match at the Barnaby Courts on Dec. 13, 2008.

Out of the Gate:
The Crimson sits in a three-way tie atop the Ivy League standings with a 2-0 conference mark. Yale is 3-0, while Princeton owns a 2-0 conference record. The Crimson and Bulldogs are the only Ancient Eight teams that own undefeated overall records.

Home, Sweet Home:
The Crimson is 1-0 at the Barnaby Courts this season after having defeated Cornell, 6-3, on Dec. 5. After hosting Rochester, Harvard also has home matches against Penn (Feb. 6) and Princeton (Feb. 7) remaining on the schedule.

Up Next:
Harvard visits No. 1 Trinity, winner of an intercollegiate-record 210 consecutive matches, Jan. 30.