Harvard Falls To Squash Juggernaut

The Harvard men’s squash team knew it was in for a test when the No. 1 team in the nation, the Trinity Bantams (15-0, 1-0 NESCAC) arrived in Cambridge to face the Crimson (7-4, 3-2 Ivy) at Barnaby Courts.

Harvard was able to take three matches from the Bantams, although the contest ultimately ended in a victory for Trinity, 6-3.

“The match was postponed [from January 26],” freshman Thomas Mullaney said. “We had to regroup, but we came back harder than ever. I think the results today really speak to our drive as a team.”

Last year, the Bantams swept the Crimson, but this year Harvard earned three victories, with freshman Gary Powers, Mullaney, and junior William Ahmed each defeating his respective Bantam opponent.

After yesterday’s match, Trinity improved its record to 15-0 this season while Harvard came away with a record of 7-4.

The Bantams will look to attain their 13th straight national title this season and are on track to do so.

Trinity added to its record-setting winning streak of a remarkable 239 matches after defeating Harvard last night. This streak is the longest in the history of varsity intercollegiate sports.

“When you’re playing a team like Trinity you have to give them a lot of respect,” junior William Ahmed said. “Because they haven’t lost a match in eleven and a half years. But you can also come into the match with a lot of confidence, because we were playing with nothing to lose.”

At the No. 9 spot, Ahmed demonstrated that confidence and defeated his opponent in just four sets. Although he was defeated in the first set, he fought back to win three consecutive sets to earn the victory. The first set went back and forth, and Ahmed was eventually defeated, 11-9.  Although the second set was tied three different times, Ahmed won, 11-9.

His momentum could not be hindered as he powered through the third set.

Taking an early 3-0 lead, Ahmed never lost that lead and took down his opponent, 11-5.

The battle continued as the fourth set heated up.

Tied up at four different points, it was a fight until the end.   Ahmed was up 10-8 and was fighting for match point when a let was called. He overcame his opponent by a final score of 11-9, earning the first individual win of the night for the Crimson.

Freshman Thomas Mullaney, playing at the No. 7 spot for the Crimson, took home Harvard’s second victory, overpowering his opponent, 3-2, in five sets.

The fifth set was a battle and, although Mullaney took an early 5-0 lead, his opponent fought back and tied the set at five.  The freshman finished off this contest, 11-8.

“Our freshmen played phenomenally,” Ahmed continued. “They’re very strong in general but played especially well tonight. We had two wins from freshmen and the other two went to four games.”

No. 1 Gary Power—a freshman from East Lyme, Connecticut—brought home the third and final victory of the evening for the Harvard.

Power came out strong and took the first two sets from his opponent 11-7 and 11-6.

In Power’s third set, the freshman suffered a 11-9 loss, but he came back stronger in his fourth and final set.

In the last set, Power faced controversial calls and numerous lets surrounding match point, but the freshman took home a 10-4 victory.

Two other freshmen, No. 4 Brandon McLaughlin and No. 6 Nigel Koh, each won one set in their matches.

The wins were impressive against a talented Trinity squad that does not face defeat often.

“Our freshman class has been doing really well. We have four guys playing in the top nine,” Mullaney said. “We’re having a blast and everyone’s really gelling and coming together.”

“[The contest against Trinity] is the match of our season, up to the moment,” Mullaney continued. “It’s what we have been playing for.”