CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Back on the court for the first time this semester, Harvard men's squash will host Columbia and Cornell in a key Ivy League weekend. The No. 3 ranked Crimson (4-0, 1-0 Ivy) will first take on the No. 6 Lions (3-1, 0-0 Ivy) on Saturday (Jan. 17) before capping off the weekend with a competition against the No. 10 Big Red (4-3, 0-0 Ivy). Both matches are set for a 12:00 PM start and will air live on the Ivy League Streaming Platform.
 

The Matchup

Harvard will play its first matches of the Spring semester this weekend when it hosts Columbia and Cornell at the Murr Center Squash Courts. The final two matches before the CSA Individual National Championships (Jan. 23-27), Harvard will look to remain undefeated against its Ivy League foes and carry the momentum into the National tournament. 
 

Starting Strong

The Crimson men's squash team enters the contest with a 4-0 record after posting a statement 6-3 victory over No. 4 Virginia at the end of the first semester. Harvard also owns wins over No. 9 Dartmouth, No. 13 MIT and No. 18 Western Ontario on the year.

Omar Azzam has posted a 4-0 record in the first four matches of the season to share the team lead. Christian Capella, Alexander Broadbridge, Segev Rome and Jacob Lin all join Azzam with perfect 4-0 records.  
 

Series History

Harvard and Columbia have met on the courts 19 times in program history, with the Crimson leading the series, 17-2. The sides split a pair of matches last season, with Harvard posting a 5-4 win in the regular season on Jan. 11. The Lions took the win in the consolation bracket of the CSA Team National Championships, by the same score, on Mar. 9 to earn its first win over Harvard since the 2017-18 season.
 
A familiar opponent, Harvard and Cornell have met 57 times in the series history. The Crimson owns a 55-2 advantage in the conflict and has won the past 16 matches dating back to the 2010 season. Last season, Harvard earned a 7-2 win against Cornell in Ithaca.
 

Milestone Watch

• Mike Way is just seven wins away from reaching 200 career wins in his career with Harvard Men's Squash

 

The Captains

Harvard men's squash elected a new leader this season in senior Denis Gilevskiy, who joins two-year captain David Costales in the role for the Crimson. The duo will lead the Crimson on and off the courts during the 2025-26 season.
 

Up Next

After the Ivy League contests this weekend, a group of Crimson student-athletes will move on to compete at the CSA Individual National Championships in New York City. The competition is set to run from Friday Jan. 23 through Tuesday Jan. 27 at Open Squash – FiDi with the semifinal and championship rounds set to be played at Grand Central Station on the PSA Tour Tournament of Champions Court.