PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Saran Nghiem is bringing the Ramsay Cup with her back to Cambridge after she defeated her teammate, Marina Stefanoni, in the CSA Individual National Championship match this afternoon. Nghiem rallied from an 0-2 deficit to win the final three games enroute to the title.
 
This was only the third time in history that two Crimson squash athletes met each other in the Ramsay Cup final and the second time in the past four seasons.
 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Meeting on the courts at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center, the two Crimson teammates battled it out for the Ramsay Cup and Individual National Champion title. Stefanoni, the tournament's top seed, raced to the final, defeating each of her first three opponents in straight games. She faced off against Nghiem, the tournament's seven-seed, who advanced to the finals after surviving a five-game thriller in the semifinals.
 
The senior Stefanoni took an early lead in the match, winning the first game 11-9 and the second game 11-8 to take an early 2-0 lead. With her back up against the wall, Nghiem fought back with 11-6 and 11-7 game wins to tie the match and force a fifth and final game. Nghiem built an early lead in the fifth game, holding off a late rally by Stefanoni to hold on and win 3-2 to become the Individual National Champion.  
 
Nghiem becomes the 18^th Individual National Champion to come out of the Crimson squash team in program history, joining Gina Kennedy '20, Amanda Sobhy '15 and Laura Gemmell '13 as the most recent winners from Harvard.
 
Lucie Stefanoni also had success on the final day of the tournament, claiming the Holleran East championship to earn second-team All-America honors. Stefanoni did not drop a single game, outscoring her opponents 9-0, in her three matches in Philly.