LANCASTER, Pa. - The 32nd-ranked Haverford College men's squash team (7-9) was defeated in a pair of matches at the Centennial Conference Round Robin on Saturday afternoon inside the Mayser Center on the Franklin & Marshall campus.
The fourth annual rotating meeting of squash programs from Centennial Conference schools serves as a prelude to the College Squash Association (CSA) postseason tournaments. Haverford was upended by host and 17th-ranked Franklin & Marshall, 9-0, before falling to No. 28 Dickinson by an 8-1 final score in the afternoon match.
#17 Franklin & Marshall 9, #32 Haverford 0
In the morning matchup with the host Diplomats, Haverford found itself locked in some epic battles. One of those back-and-forth tussles came at the fifth flight, as Sam Freed narrowly got past Kai Schinaman in what can only be described as an instant classic match.
Freed took the first game by a slim 11-9 margin, but Schinaman rallied back with consecutive 11-8 and 12-10 victories, putting Freed on the brink of elimination on his home court. The narrow margins continued as Freed rattled off another 11-9 win to tie the overall match at 2-2, sending things to a deciding fifth game. In a marathon that showcased just how evenly matched the two competitors were, Freed outlasted Schinaman by a 17-15 final score, as Schinaman took Freed to the absolute brink before falling.
Elsewhere, John Collins put up a strong fight against Juan Hinostroza at the seventh flight, with a 12-10 second-game win that served as a harbinger of success in his Red Devils matchup in the afternoon. Noah Tunis and Aaryaman Jaising were also both victorious in their first games before falling in four matches at the second and third flights.
#28 Dickinson 8, #32 Haverford 1
Going up against a Red Devils side that many in the collegiate squash world say are a much stronger side than their No. 28 ranking would indicate, the Fords battled to push Dickinson in their second contest of the day.
Collins continued his prowess from the morning matchup, but he fell behind early to Aidan Ray, with Ray winning the first two games as Collins tried to get his footing back after a strenuous opening to the day. Collins responded with three consecutive wins, rattling off 11-8, 11-8, and 11-5 triumphs to put a tally in the Haverford ledger at number seven.
Jaising was again a stand out at the third flight, as he took a second-game win over Mark Naguib, while Matt Sullivan forced Sam Knipp to extra points in the closeout third game at number eight.
Haverford will now have more than a week away from competition as the CSA Men's Team Championships are slated to open on Friday, February 25 in Hartford, Conn. More information about the team championships, including pairings and schedules, will be released in the week prior to the opening of matches.