Oct. 27, 2009
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The 2009-10 Navy varsity and junior varsity squash teams combined to defeat the Mids' alumni squad last Saturday, 11-0. The Bowen Cup, named after Vice Adm. Harold G. Bowen Jr. who was a member of the Class of 1933, has been a long-standing tradition at the Naval Academy. The event brings together former and current squash players and is held annually during Homecoming Weekend.
This year, 11 alumni represented five decades of Navy squash, including Class of 1955 member Bud Parker who always makes it a point to come back and share his experiences with the current group of Midshipmen. Additionally, four former team captains returned, as well as two-time Barb Tournament winner and two-time All-American Sunil Desai out of the Class of '91. Desai gave 2009 Barb Tournament runner-up Ben Mantica (Binghamton, N.Y.) a great match, but youth prevailed as Mantica took the match in four games.
Recent graduates Andy McCann '02, Edson Greenwood '03 and Gavin Morrison '05 all gave their counterparts quite the match, but junior Brad Seidel (Toledo, Ohio) and rookies David Koenig (Cincinnati, Ohio) and John Richey (West Hartford, Conn.) all proved to be on top of their game on Saturday in dealing the three former team captains 3-2 losses. Even Mark Harper, who serves as the Mids' faculty representative, came out to challenge sophomore John Tracey (Owings Mills, Md.). Harper, a member of the Class of '75, fell short in a three-game match.
"It was a great morning of squash," said 10th-year head coach and 1973 Naval Academy graduate Craig Dawson. "Although all of the matches fell in favor of our current players, there were some very close matches with spirited competition. The Mids' conditioning may have won out over the Alumni experience."
The Midshipmen will get their first true test on Friday when Navy opens its 2009-10 season at home in a three-day invitational. Navy faces Virginia at 5:00 pm at Halsey Field House, followed by a 7:00 pm contest against North Carolina. The Mids' final match of the tournament will be played Saturday at 10:00 am against the visiting Georgetown Hoyas.
2009 Bowen Cup Results - Navy 11, Alumni 0
Ben Mantica '10 def Sunil Desai '91 3-1
Brad Seidel '11 def Andy McCann '02 3-2
John Richey '13 def Gavin Morrison '05 3-2
David Koenig '13 def Edson Greenwood '03 3-2
Aidan Crofton '11 def Scott Hackman '06 3-0
John Tracey '12 def Mark Harper '75 3-0
Lincoln Barber '11 def Jim Cowardin '66 3-1
Pat Hamilton '10 def Jerry Welch '64 3-1
Clint Brown '11 def Pete Latimer '60 3-2
Fritz Tolle '10 def Robin Pirie '55 3-0
Qasim Idrees '12 def Bud Parker '55 3-0
### Go Navy ###
