PHILADELPHIA - The No. 32 Men's Squash team (7-11) showcased their resilience at the CSA Divisional Championships inside the Arlen Specter National Squash Center, commencing play with a convincing 8-1 victory over No. 34 Bard (2-12) in the afternoon contest. However, a hard-fought effort was evident in the subsequent nightcap against No. 31 Connecticut College (8-11), where they fell by a narrow 6-3 margin as round robin action in the Conroy Cup concluded.
No. 32 Haverford 8, No. 34 Bard 1
The Fords began the day with a 1-0 lead, courtesy of Garret Fantini's default victory at the ninth flight.
Haverford demonstrated dominance across the board, with Aaryaman Jaising swiftly overcoming Luca Heidelberg (11-2, 11-0, 11-0) in flight two, Kai Schinaman securing a victory against Will Egan (11-7, 11-3, 11-5) in flight three, and Peter Lehv dispelling Ali Mounim Rajabi (11-1, 11-2, 11-4) in flight four.
Ben Schiltz delivered a sweep over Ali Mounim Rajabi (11-1, 11-1, 11-2) in flight five, and Qianzhi Zhao prevailed over Jacob Nathan (11-1, 11-1, 11-0) in flight six.
Arvin Krishnan scored an impressive 33 straight points to sweep Cody Coon (11-0, 11-0, 11-0), and Francis Betkowski dispatched Kasiem Washington (11-1, 11-0, 11-0) in flight eight.
The most competitive match of the day unfolded at the first flight, where Haverford's Noah Tunis battled Artemy Mukhin of Bard. Despite Tunis rallying back after dropping the first game, Mukhin secured the win in the fifth and deciding game (11-8, 5-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7), earning the lone match victory for Bard.
No. 31 Connecticut College 6, No. 32 Haverford 3
In its third encounter with Connecticut College this season, Haverford faced a tough challenge in the Camels. Francis Betkowski posted the sole sweep of the night for the Fords at the ninth flight, overcoming Timothy First in 11-6, 11-3, and 11-9 games.
Despite Hudson Dunn securing a victory over Jaising in four games at the second flight, the Fords showcased resilience, with Jaising knotting things at 1-1 before falling 11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9.
Connecticut College gained momentum as Ryan Mach outlasted Qianzhi Zhao in four games, and Luis Moncada-Gonzalez swept past Tunis at the top flight, clinching the match win for the Camels. The closely contested matchups continued after the clinch, contributing to the overall intensity of the evening.
Henry Pelletier got the best of Lehv in four games (11-3, 11-7, 11-13, 11-6) and Braun was able to outlast Alex Lorenzo-Cruz in five games, with the pair splitting the first two games before a 12-10 Braun victory in game three and a 13-11 win in game five (11-9, 9-11, 12-10, 7-11, 13-11).
Haverford now concludes the 2023-24 team season with a rematch against Vassar in the Conroy Cup Third-Place Playoff, marking their fourth meeting this season. The showdown with the Brewers is scheduled for a noon start on Sunday at the Specter Center.