M. Squash Toes Line With Trinity, History

Ever since the moment that then-freshman Jason De Lierre dropped the fourth game of the deciding match in last year’s CSA Team Championships, giving Trinity a 5-4 win and its 108th consecutive victory overall, the Harvard men’s squash team has counted down the days to exacting revenge.

Now those days—340 in all—have passed. Tonight at the Murr Center, the Crimson will have its opportunity for vengeance.

“This is what we worked the entire season for,” intercollegiate No. 2 Will Broadbent, a Harvard junior, said. “We’re still the underdogs technically, but our team has developed and we’re all prepared for what is to come. “Trinity-Harvard is a unique experience. It’s unlike anything else.”

For all the time that has passed, the landscape of collegiate squash looks very much like it did last February when the Bantams affirmed their status as the best team in the nation. No. 1 Trinity (6-0) has continued to dominate this year, running its record streak to 114 consecutive wins. Meanwhile, No. 2 Harvard (5-0, 3-0 Ivy) has kept pace—shutting out all five of its opponents so far this year.

But not even the most optimistic of Crimson crazies could expect that shutout streak to hold against the Bantams. With its winning streak dating back to 1998, the Trinity men’s squash team is the most dominating team in college sports. With incredible depth all the way down the ladder, the Bantams don’t just beat opponents—they humiliate them.

“We’re more aware this year,” said Harvard coach Satinder Bajwa of what the match with Trinity can represent. “Now [the team] has expectations. Last year they didn’t have any expectations. I don’t know whether that’s good or bad. We’ll find out.”

The expectations rest heavily on the top of the ladder for this year’s Crimson squad. Harvard is universally thought to have the best top four in the country and for a shot at beating Trinity, that group must continue to dominate.

Intercollegiate No. 4 sophomore Siddharth Suchde will remain at the top, holding off Broadbent, who spent much of the fall recovering from a knee injury. Broadbent, who played most of last season at No. 1, will slide down to No. 2. Both Suchde and Broadbent won their matches impressively in the National Championship match last year against Trinity, and neither has come close to dropping a game thus far this season.

At No. 3, sophomore Ilan Oren—ranked No. 9 among national collegiate players—will compete at the same spot he did during the last meeting with Trinity, and senior Michael Blumberg, who also posted a victory against Trinity last year, will play at No. 4. Harvard will need at least a split from Oren and Blumberg if not a clean sweep.

“I think each one of us is equally capable to win anywhere,” said Suchde of the team’s entire ladder. “Last year all of us had pretty close matches. It’s a new year, a new day...I think all of us could win.”

Despite Suchde’s confidence in his teammates below him, finding the crucial fifth victory could be difficult for the Crimson.

De Lierre, now a sophomore, will take the No. 5 spot for the Crimson. De Lierre has shown signs of being among the best in the country, but doesn’t have elite match experience against high-ranking opponents.

Perhaps Harvard’s best chance to steal a match in the lower half of the draw comes at No. 6 with captain Asher Hochberg. Hochberg has played flawlessly so far this year, winning matches easily at the No. 4 and No. 5 positions. At No. 6, he may be the Crimson’s best hope after the top four.

Sophomore Garnett Booth, who came just a few points away from winning his match against Trinity last year, will play at No. 7. Sophomore Mihir Sheth and freshman Chessin Gertler will round out the Harvard lineup.

Less clear is the state of Trinity’s ladder. The Bantams, who historically have had the deepest team in the country, are known for regularly moving players up and down their lineup.

“Trinity puts its guys all over the ladder,” Hochberg said. “So we really aren’t going to know who matches up with who.”

While the Bantams prepared for the match with solid victories over Brown and Yale last week, Harvard headed out west to San Francisco for a training trip. Unlike last year, when the Crimson felt it came out flat during its regular season meeting with Trinity, Harvard should be ready to go at 6:00 tonight.

After 11 months of waiting, the Crimson squash team has a chance to make history once again.

“Winning would mean it can be done,” said Bajwa of the historic implications of a victory. “If it happens, it will prove that the best can be caught—no matter what situation.”

—Staff writer David H. Stearns can be reached at stearns@fas.harvard.edu.