Men’s Squash Clear Harvard and Dartmouth, Remains on Top of National Rankings

Ashley McDermott ’26

Executive Sports Editor

Over the course of two games, the No. 1 Trinity College men’s squash team has maintained their nine game win streak. 

The men’s squash team hosted their senior game on Friday, Jan. 30 at the Kovas Squash Center in Hartford, CT. They went head to head with No. 2 Harvard University, finishing with a 7-2 victory. 

The game honored seniors Benedek Takacs ’26, Joachim Chuah ’26 and Daniel Simon ’26. The Bantams achieved a collective 15-4 in their sets. Notably, Chuah ’26 claimed his second and fourth sets against Havard’s David Costales ’26, ending with a 12-10 score and holding his No. 1 position on the courts. Senior Daniel Simon ’26 beat his opponent in a straight set, while senior Takacs ’26 lost during his five-set match.

The second victory over an Ivy League was on Sunday, Feb. 1 at Dartmouth College’s Berry Squash Courts in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Leading the Bantams to a 9-0 season sweep, the squash team remains as No. 1 within the College Squash Association (CSA). This game held seven straight-set wins, with each player earning 3-0 wins. The players included Joachim Chuah ’26, Muhammad Ashab Irfan ’29, Benedek Takacs ’26, Segundo Portabales ’29, Eyad Awad ’29 and Javier Emilio Romo Lopez ’28. Senior Daniel Simon ’26 faced a difficult match in his opening game, falling to his opponent in the second game, and solidifying his win after the fourth game, 12-10.

The CSA has ranked a handful of players on the Trinity Squash team within the top twenty national squash players: no. 12 Dmytro Shcherbakov ’27 with a rating of 6.69 and a win streak of 6-0, and no. 16 Muhammad Ashab Irfan ’29 with a rating of 7.36 and a win streak of 4-0. There are also three players in the top ten ranking, no. 8 Eyad Awad ’29 rated 6.62, 7-0, no. 9 Andrik Lim ’27 rated 6.52, 7-0 and no. 10 Javier Emilio Romo Lopez ’28 rated 6.50, 7-0. 

For those unaware, some things to note about squash are as follows: The game takes place in an enclosed court, where two players positioned side by side hit a small ball against the front wall, aiming for it to land in opposite back corners. Players win “rallies” when their opponent misses the ball. These matches consist of best-of-five games played to 11 points, where the winner ends with a 2 point lead. The scoring is measured by a point-a-rally system (PAR) where every rally scores a point regardless of server. Also, the serve must hit the front wall between the service line and top line in order to be in bounds.

Athletic Director Gavin Viano commented to the Tripod, “Coach Hamada, his staff and players should be very proud of their efforts thus far during the 2025-26 campaign. The program has already achieved so much, including ending #1 Penn’s 30-match winning streak in front of a capacity crowd, to claim the top spot in the nation in the process. Both the men’s and women’s programs recently battled against some of the best players in the world in New York City recently, and I’m excited to see how both programs build towards the National Championships in Philadelphia next month.” 

Head Men’s Squash Coach Moustafa Hamada told the Tripod, “We had a great match against Harvard. We went into the match as the only two undefeated teams in the country, so we had to be at our best to win. It was senior day for a special senior class — Joachim Chuah, Beni Takacs, and Daniel Simon — and I’m proud of the team for making it one to remember. Now we’re heading on the road for a few tricky fixtures, and I’m looking forward to continuing the momentum.”

The next match will take place Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 5:30 pm at Yale University.