CAMBRIDGE/NORTH ANDOVER, MA - The Williams team finished a 3 day weekend at Harvard and Brooks on Sunday at the College Squash Nationals and finished with a final position of 4th in their division and 20th in the nation.
The weekend begun with a 10am Saturday match against Colby at the Harvard Murr Center. With 12 courts and playing a 3 court system, the Ephs came out of the gates hot to win at 9, 6, and 3, anchored by Andrew Litvin '18, Will Ruggiero '19, and Carl Shuck '20 respectively. Then came Claude Smith '20, Jamie Havran '18, and John Fitzgerald '19 playing at the 8, 5, and 2 spots. While Claude and John pulled wins, Jamie, who is recovering from an ankle sprain, was unable to outrun his opponent and lost in 5. Last on court were Mason Elizondo '18, John Shuck '17, and Jamie Ruggiero '17, who all pulled wins. The final match score was 8-1.
Back bright and early at the Murr Center the next morning, Williams faced a tough matchup against the University of Virginia at 9am. With Andrew Litvin resting and Ben Eisenberg '19 taking his place at the 9 position, the match began on the same 3 court system. Unfortunately, Williams lost at the 9 position in five games and also dropped at the 6 position. Carl Shuck defeated his opponent in three but Ephs still trailed 2-1. At 8, 5, and 2, the Ephs again dropped the two lower courts but one at the top court. The score was now 4-2. The Ephs would need to win all the final round matches. While John Shuck and Jamie Ruggiero won on the top courts, Mason Elizondo ufortunately lost in 5 to give UVA a 5-4 victory.
With a tough loss against UVA, the Ephs were determined to bring all their energy to the next match. The Ephs had previously defeated Brown 6-3, but with Will Means injured at the 3 spot, the matchup was tight. Unfortunately, the matches and scores were nearly identical to those againt UVA: Williams took the top 4 courts but fell 5-9 to give Brown a 5-4 victory.
Coach Zafi Levy said of the season, "I am so proud of the boys this season, but to end like this is bittersweet. I am ecstatic that we showed real guns at the top of the ladder but we definately need to rework the bottom of the ladder which I know has the talent to succeed."
