Men's squash defends Hoehn Cup title

Defending their national championship, men’s squash defeated Bates, Drexel and Dartmouth at the Collegiate Squash Association Team tournament this past weekend to protect their Division B Hoehn Cup title. The Tigers traveled to Trinity College, host of CSA and home of the top squash team in the country, on Friday to uphold the team’s reputation at the annual end-of-season tournament. This year, the tournament drew in 62 teams from across the country, representing the best that collegiate squash has to offer.

Prior to the tournament, the 62 teams were divided into eight divisions, based on regular season rankings. After claiming the Hoehn Cup, awarded to the Division B Champion, last year, the Tigers entered this season with sights set on Division A, representing the top 8 teams in the country. After defeating top-ranked Franklin and Marshall and Penn during the regular season, head coach Sean Wilkinson remained optimistic prior to the release of the tournament brackets.

Unfortunately, Princeton missed the top division by one spot, receiving a No. 9 ranking behind Trinity, St. Lawrence, Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Rochester, Franklin and Marshall and Penn. On the bright side, the Tigers leveraged the top seed in the B Division, setting the stage for a repeat title.

To kick start their journey back to the Hoehn Cup title, the Tigers faced No. 16-ranked Bates on Friday afternoon. Although Princeton hadn’t faced Bates during the regular season, the team entered the match with confidence, given their top seed in the division. Bates came out of the door determined to prove their worth, winning two of the first three matches. Showcasing some of the top players in the matchup, the two Princeton losses pitted senior captain Samuel Kang against Bates’ Ahmed Abdel Khalek and freshman Jarryd Osborne against Bates’ Darrius Campbell. Both losses boasted high intensity play and lasted a full five sets. Fortunately, the Tigers were able to bounce back to win six consecutive matches and clinch the game with a 7-2 victory.

Moving onto the semifinals, the Tigers faced Drexel on Saturday afternoon. Princeton had defeated Drexel 6-3 during the regular season, so the team approached Saturday’s match with similar confidence. Ultimately, the team relied on strong starts from senior captains Samuel Kang and Tyler Osborne who swept their opponents to give Princeton an early 2-0 lead. Thereafter, Drexel rebounded and the two teams exchanged victories until Princeton came out on top with a narrow 5-4 victory. Notable moments on Saturday include junior Michael LeBlanc’s victory over Drexel’s Mark Kauf, a match that required the full five rounds.

At last, Princeton reached the climax of the weekend, facing Dartmouth for the Hoehn Cup on Sunday. Princeton defeated Dartmouth, ranked No. 11, during the regular season and had hopes of repeating a similar victory. In a fortunate flashback to the previous day’s matches, Princeton kicked off the championship game with two impressive victories from senior captains Samuel King and All-American Tyler Osborne. Furthermore, the Tigers speared the early lead with successive victories from freshman Jarryd Osborne and senior captain David Hoffman. Henceforth, the two championship contenders would trade off victories, but the early, dominant Princeton lead would prove too much for the Big Green.

With the Hoehn Cup in hand, Princeton has once again demonstrated its squash prowess. However, the season concludes with the CSA Individual Championship beginning on Feb. 27. During this annual individual event, the top 32 players in the country compete for the Pool Trophy while all other players compete for the Molloy Cup. This year, the CSA Individual Championship will be hosted in Princeton’s own Jadwin Gymnasium for the first time.