MIDDLETOWN, Conn. - One of the old adages in college sports is that it is hard to beat a team three times in one season. The 32nd-ranked Haverford Men's Squash team (10-10) had no problem putting that thinking to bed for the time being, with a 5-4 decision over No. 33 Connecticut College (6-13) in the fifth-place match of the Conroy CUp at the College Squash Association (CSA) Men's Team Championship. Action began bright and early at Wesleyan's Rosenbaum Squash Center on Sunday morning, as Haverford went toe-to-toe with the NESCAC foe for the third time this year, grabbing all three victories at neutral sites.
Haverford looked stronger at the bottom of the ladder as the Fords came up big at the sixth through nine spots on Sunday. Ben Schiltz swept past Thomas Whittemore (11-4, 11-6, 11-7 at the sixth, John Collins got past Alex Lorenzo-Cruz with ease at the seventh (11-4, 11-7, 11-1) and Matt Sullivan outlasted Peter Russell at the eighth flight (11-6, 13-11, 9-11, 7-11, 12-10). Garret Fantini got past Alexander Navarro via sweep at the ninth flight (12-10, 11-4, 11-8).
Haverford took a 4-2 lead into the final three matches after Tyler Maguire won over Noah Tunis at the second flight, and Ryan Mach did the same over Peter Lehv at the fourth flight, with both Camels players winning those matchups in four games.
Despite those losses in the top four, the Fords were still on the brink of clinching the overall match, needing just one more individual win while Connecticut College needed everything to go right with three consecutive wins in order to turn things around. Noah Fish brought Connecticut College a spot closer with his win over Kai Schinaman at the fifth flight, but Haverford still was in a strong spot with stalwarts Aaryaman Jaising and Quinton Crawford still on court at the first and third flights.
Eventually, it was the newcomer Jaising who delivered the clincher for the Fords as he outlasted Henry Pelletier. Pelletier grabbed a 15-13 win in the first game, putting a bit of fear into the Fords, but Jaising remained calm as he methodically wore down Pelletier with 11-9, 11-5, and 11-1 wins in a standout performance that fired up the crowd. Crawford's match, played simultaneously, went to Samuel Lovejoy of Connecticut College in four games, but Haverford did just enough to win with the success at the bottom of the ladder setting the stage for the rookie Jaising to come up big in the clincher.
Haverford finishes the season with a 10-10 record, and the future looks bright for the Fords as some talented first years entered the lineup and did well against tough competition as Haverford tested itself against top 10 squads like Drexel and Penn this season. The CSA Individual Championships are now slated to begin on Friday, March 3 at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.