CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The No. 34 Haverford College Men's Squash team took down No. 33 Bucknell, 5-4, to capture the Chaffee Cup (E Division) at the CSA Team Championships on the campus of Harvard University on Sunday afternoon. The gripping victory caps a historic season for the Haverford men as the team finishes with a program-record 15 victories and a No. 33 national ranking by virtue of the victory.
The win is the fourth overall CSA division title for the Fords, and the first since a Serues Cup (F Division) victory in 2011-12. Haverford has also twice captured the Conroy Cup (D Division), taking the title in that grouping in 2001-02 and 1999-00.
The Fords avenged a 5-4 loss to Bucknell last Saturday, taking down the Bison despite a new number one player for the opponent, which strengthened the Bucknell ladder and allowed the Bison to see new opponents at nearly every spot.
At the sixth spot on the ladder, Yash Singh got the best of Spencer Smith in a five game match. Singh won the first game 11-9 before dropping the second and third. He responded with 11-7 and 11-8 wins to take a hard fought victory.
At the number five position, Zach Cole posted a momentous win over Jack Buendia, sprinting out to a 2-0 lead with 11-7 and 11-5 wins before dropping a 7-11 decision. In extra points, Cole prevailed 12-10 for a four-game triumph that began to turn the tide in favor of Haverford and bring a clearer path towards a Fords victory.
The Fords held strong at the top three spots on the ladder as Peter Dudley defeated Henry Kelly in four games (11-8, 11-7, 4-11, 11-2) at the second spot and Aaron Horwitz rallied for a four-game victory after dropping the first game (10-12, 11-4, 11-3, 11-3) at the third spot. Bucknell got the best of Haverford at the number four, seven, eight and nine spots with Alex Liu and Keshav Kalani falling in four games while Ryan Dukarm and Shilin Jog were swept.
With Haverford up 4-3, freshman Tate Miller was tasked with clinching the win against Henry Charman, an opponent the Fords had not seen in the previous matchup between the two squads. Undaunted by the unfamiliarity, Miller took down Charman in straight games, taking 11-1, 11-9 and 11-3 wins in a poised performance that delivered the Chaffee Cup for Haverford.
Other milestones reached in 2017 for the Fords include the existing regular season individual wins record eclipsed by Ryan Dukarm (15 wins) and Yash Singh (15 wins). Aaron Horwitz finishes his team career with 36 wins, a mark that is fourth in program history while Zach Cole (34) and Peter Dudley (33) look ready for the record books at the end of their junior seasons.
In other action, Trinity College took home the Potter Cup (A Division) CSA national championship with a win over host Harvard.
With the team season complete, The Fords will now await the announcement of the field for the CSA Individual Championships, which will be held from March 3-5 in Hanover, N.H. on the campus of Dartmouth College.