The assumption for young prospects, in squash as in baseball, is that they will climb the lineup as they age and gain experience. Not the other way around.
It didn’t work out that way for University of Pennsylvania senior Max Reed. However, the Lebanon product is nonetheless exiting his college career with good feelings.
“It’s tough and I’ve learned lessons, but that’s life,” said Reed, who helped the Quakers go 14-4 and finish third at the national-championship level Potter Cup, the program’s best showing since 1973. “Squash taught me a ton, but those days are gone.”
Reed was 13-4 overall and 5-2 in Ivy League play for the second consecutive season. He played mostly at the No. 9 slot, the lineup’s lowest, going 9-4 there. As Penn coach Gilly Lane is quick to point out, however, Reed’s points counted as much as anyone else on the card, and his perseverance and ability to overcome injuries served as valuable lessons for a team that’s improved in a hurry.
“He’s gotten wiser as he’s gotten older, and he was battle-tested,” Lane said. “What stood out was his heart, determination and will. He and his class were part of our resurrection, and they’ve set a precedent for the future.”
Penn was 11-6 overall and 5-4 in the Ivies during Reed’s freshman season and went 9-8 and 5-3 during his sophomore campaign. The Quakers were 11-7 and 4-3 last winter before finishing runner-up to undefeated Harvard for the Ancient Eight title last month. The Crimson won its 26th national crown not long after.
Reed said Penn was No. 14 in the country when he first considered attending the school as a Lebanon High junior. He knew Lane from U.S. national team work, which was part of the attraction for a move to Philadelphia.
Reed played in the Quakers’ the fifth and sixth slots as a freshman, when he tore the labrum in one hip and struggled through the pain before undergoing offseason surgery. Recovery was arduous for a player who’d built his game on fitness and by grinding opponents down as opposed to living by flashy, winning shots.
“I probably never came back fully after that,” said Reed, who also hurt a foot playing pickup soccer last summer and was out for several months. “I had to adjust my game, and that was definitely a factor in how I fit into the lineup.”
Reed played primarily at the seventh and eighth slots as a sophomore and at the eighth and ninth positions as a junior before settling in mostly at ninth this winter. The Quakers’ ability to land ever more-talented recruiting classes meant just making the game lineup was an increasing challenge for many players.
Reed, 22, is a science technology and society major who mixed in engineering and business classes and is scheduled to graduate on May 20. After that, it’s a last summer of freedom before beginning work at a venture capital and private equity firm in midtown Manhattan, near Bryant Park.
“College squash teaches you how to manage your time at a tough school with intense coaches and to play as part of a team,” Reed said. “I think it will carry over.”
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com.