No. 2 men’s squash has steamrolled their way through a difficult schedule so far this season, stretching from November up until now. They have gone undefeated through seven matchups and won 54 of 63 individual matches.
“The mood in the locker room is very focused,” senior Ahmed Hussein wrote to The Daily Princetonian. “The energy is great, and everyone is working hard and holding others accountable.”
The Tigers shared the Ivy League title last year with Penn after emerging from a treacherous Ivy League schedule with a 5–1 record that included their first win over Harvard in 13 years. The exciting season was the Tigers’ first Ivy title, shared or outright, since 2013.
At the halfway point of the conference season, the Tigers control their own destiny in the Ivy League — if they win out, they take home the Ivy title. Wins over Yale, Columbia, and Cornell puts Princeton tied for first place in the league with No. 1 Penn.
However, the team says that they’re not getting ahead of themselves. “We’re taking it one match at a time and staying focused on what we can control,” says Hussein. “The goal is to keep building momentum and put ourselves in simply the best position for the Ivy League and National title.”
Building on momentum from last season, which ended in a national semifinal loss to last year’s champion, Penn, the men’s squash team has two top-four wins this year, beating then-No. 2 Yale and No. 4 Trinity in the span of just 24 hours from Jan. 11 to 12.
Junior Hassan Khalil claimed the first match for the Tigers against the Yale Bulldogs with a gritty 3–2 win at the number five spot. After trading matches back and forth with the Bulldogs to a 3–3 tie in matches, junior Avi Agarwal and senior Gordon Lam won their matches at the fourth and ninth spots to give the Tigers a 5–3 lead on their way to a 5–4 victory.
The next day, the Tigers won every match from the three position down to the final ninth position to propel themselves to a 7–2 win over the Trinity Bantams, who they fell to last year. First-year Aly Ibrahim’s quick 3–0 win at the sixth spot was the highlight of a day where the Tigers showed off the depth of their lineup.
Along with Drew Glaser and Yuvraj Wadhwani, Ibrahim is one of three first-years who have played well so far this year. These first-years have been able to adapt well to a new environment and help replenish the loss of graduating seniors from last season, Hussein shared.
“It’s also been great to see the freshmen settling into the team environment and getting more comfortable with the level of competition,” he wrote to the ‘Prince.’
The Tigers have a big weekend ahead of them, playing at Dartmouth on Saturday and then at Harvard on Sunday. Both opponents are difficult competition, with both ranking in the top 10, but the Tigers are likely favorites.
Looming towards the end of the schedule is a rematch with Penn, the top-ranked squad in the nation who ended the Tigers’ season last year. On Sunday Feb. 9, the Orange and Black will take a short trip to Philadelphia and look to avenge last year’s heartbreak.
The team is undaunted by the results of last year and carries the confidence of a fantastic start to the season.
“We’re really excited for this match, Penn is obviously the team to beat this year,” noted Hussein to the ‘Prince.’ “Last year’s loss at Nationals is definitely in the back of our minds, but we’re coming in focused on the present. We know what we’re capable of, and this is a chance to prove ourselves against the No. 1 team in the country.”
Harrison Blank is a head Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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