PHILADElPHIA – No. 2 Harvard (15-1) fought its way to a third consecutive CSA Team Championship on Sunday (Feb. 20), outlasting No. 1 Penn (18-1), 5-4, in front of a sizable gallery at Penn Squash Center.
The win marks the third consecutive season in which the Crimson has been crowned CSA Men's Team Champions, and the 34th national title for the program all-time. It is the second season in a row in which Harvard has beaten Penn in the finals.
Sophomore
Ido Burstein played the hero for Harvard, breaking a 4-4 tie with a decisive performance in the day's final match.
Things began slowly for the Crimson as Penn jumped out to an early advantage in the first wave of matches. Roger Alber Baddour posted a 3-0 sweep at No. 9 for the Quakers while Harvard's
Victor Crouin (No. 1) and
George Crowne (No. 4) each found themselves trailing 2-0.
Crouin and Crowne showed impressive resolve, however, fighting back to even their respective matches, 2-2. Crowne was unable to complete the comeback, but Crouin was successful in his resurgence, saving multiple match balls and ultimately taking the fifth game from Penn's Andrew Douglas, 12-10.
With Crouin's point salvaged, the Crimson would go on to win the next two matches as well, as
Liam Rotzoll and
Samuel Scherl put Harvard ahead for the first time, 3-2, with a pair of victories.
Penn tied things back up with a point at No. 8 before
Marwan Tarek regained the lead for Harvard by virtue of his dominant performance at No. 2.
Adam Corcoran came up just short in a long five-game battle vs. Dillon Huang, meaning the championship was to be decided by the two competitors playing at No. 6.
With the entire building looking on, Burstein remained poised, putting on an unflappable display in a 3-0, championship-sealing win over Nathan Tze Bing Kueh.
Harvard Highlights / Match Notes
- Harvard wins the CSA Men's Team Championship for the third straight season and 34th time in program history.
- Harvard outscored Penn 19-16 in games for the match.
- With the teams even, 4-4, Ido Burstein clinched the victory for Harvard with a 3-0 win at no. 6 in the day's final match.
- Victor Crouin, Marwan Tarek, Samuel Scherl and Burstein all finish the 2022 Potter Cup with perfect 3-0 records individually.
- Scherl is now 15-0 as an individual for the 2021-22 campaign.
- Tarek lost just 14 points in his 3-0 sweep at No. 2, the fewest by any Crimson player in the match.
- Four of the day's matches went the full five games, with each team winning two of these contests.
- Tarek, Burstein and Liam Rotzoll all reversed their results from the regular season match vs. the Quakers with victories in the Finals.
- The Crimson improves to 25-8 in Potter Cup play under Mike Way, The Gregory Lee '87 and Russell Ball '88 Endowed Coach for Harvard Squash. Way has now won four national titles on the men's side during his coaching tenure.
- Harvard is now 82-4 against Penn all-time.
- Earlier this season, the Quakers snapped the Crimson's 38-match win streak with a 6-3 win back on Jan. 15.
- The win secured the 150th team national title in Harvard Athletics history.
RESULTS
Harvard – 5, Penn – 4
- Victor Crouin (Harv) def. Andrew Douglas (Penn) – 3-2 (7-11, 6-11, 11-6, 12-10, 12-10)
- Marwan Tarek (Harv) def. Aly Abou El Einen (Penn) – 3-0 (11-5, 11-5, 11-4)
- Samuel Scherl (Harv) def. James Flynn (Penn) – 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-9)
- Nicholas Spizzirri (Penn) def. George Crowne (Harv) – 3-2 (13-11, 11-7, 4-11, 5-11. 11-7)
- Dillon Huang (Penn) def. Adam Corcoran (Harv) – 3-2 (9-11, 4-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-4)
- Ido Burstein (Harv) def. Nathan Tze Bing Kueh (Penn) – 3-0 (11-9, 11-2, 11-5)
- Liam Rotzoll (Harv) – def. Yash Bhargava (Penn) 3-2 (11-2, 4-11, 5-11, 11-5, 11-9)
- Saksham Choudhary (Penn) def. Tate Harms (Harv)– 3-0 (11-5, 11-4, 11-9,)
- Roger Alber Baddour (Penn) def. Conner Stoltz (Harv)– 3-0 (11-7, 11-3, 11-3)
Order of finish: 9, 4, 1, 7, 3, 8, 2, 5, 6
Next Up
Harvard will send representatives to the CSA Men's Individual Championships March 4-6 back in Philadelphia. Draws will be announced the week of the tournament.
