In honor of squash in general, I am starting a 2011 Howe Cup thread.

[KamaAina]

http://www.yalebulldogs.com/sports/w-squash/2010-11/releases/20110220spslvt

Today the undefeated No. 1 Yale women's squash team triumphed 5-4 over No. 2 Harvard in the finals of the Howe Cup, earning the national title with a thrilling victory. Playing at Princeton's Jadwin Gym, the Bulldogs (17-0, 6-0 Ivy) faced the rival Crimson (11-2, 5-1 Ivy) in a rematch of the top two teams in both the Ivy League and the nation.

The last time the teams played, it was for both the Ivy League title and the number one ranking in college squash, and the matchup lived up to the hype, coming down to a five-game match between senior Caroline Reigeluth for Yale and Harvard's Sarah Mumanachit. This time around the stakes were even higher, as both teams blew through their early matchups to face each other in a seemingly inevitable showdown for the national championship....

"After that," Hay said, "I knew to just go on and play my game," and she did, calming down to win her next three games in an electric atmosphere and take the Howe Cup title for Yale.

The national championship caps off a magical year for the Bulldogs, and the team won't be going away anytime soon. The losses of captain Logan Greer and fellow seniors Sarah Toomey and Caroline Reigeluth will certainly hurt, but there are also many positives. Promising seasons from freshmen Tomlinson and Hay, who between them had only one loss all season, along with excellent production from the rest of the team and a strong recruiting class, indicate that next year's team will be in the running for the national championship once again.

Yrs,
K-A, Y'85, cum laude