Crimson Competes For National Title

The Harvard men’s squash team began clocking in hours of vigorous team fitness and technical training early in September for what would be a short season, consisting of only 10 matches played in December and February.

After a successful regular season, the Crimson boasts a 6-4 record and a No. 5 national ranking. Now, in the final stretch of the season, Harvard’s hard work culminates in this weekend’s CSA National Team Championships and next weekend’s CSA National Individual Championships.

Tonight, the Crimson will take to the courts with a vengeance against No. 4 Cornell (12-3) in both teams’ first-round matchup of the National Team Championships, held in Princeton, N.J.

Competition continues throughout the weekend, and results from today’s matches will determine which team Harvard will face tomorrow.

If the Crimson is victorious against the Big Red, it will most likely face a very challenging second-round date with Yale, Princeton, or Trinity, all teams that Harvard fell to earlier in the season.

Despite the three-day setup of the tournament, the Crimson is not looking beyond its first-round opponent. Harvard will focus on successfully delivering the critical points necessary to defeat Cornell and advance in the Championship bracket.

In early December, the then-No. 4 Crimson suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of the then-No. 6 Big Red in a hard-fought battle that ended with Harvard on the losing end of a 6-3 decision.

“The first [match against Cornell] for us is just huge,” said junior and Crimson No. 1 Colin West. “That is our tournament.”

If Harvard wins today, the worst overall the team can place is fourth. However, if the team falls to Cornell, the best it can do is fifth place. The Crimson’s hope to clinch a top-three finish hinges on victory in its first-round contest.

“If we get past this one thing, we’re rolling,” West said. “Then we’ve got positive momentum and the tournament should be a really strong one for us.”

Harvard had a strong start to the season, winning its first three competitions against Brown, Williams, and Dartmouth before blemishing its perfect record with the loss to the Big Red. The Crimson quickly rebounded with a 5-4 win against a solid Rochester team.

“[The victory] was a wake up call and a rallying point at the same time,” said Harvard junior Alex Lavoie. “[That match] showed us that we can beat and hang with the best teams, but that it takes a lot of work and a lot of guts to just do it.”

The Crimson’s captain, senior Verdi DiSesa, has led his teammates all season, exhibiting what may be considered the team’s mantra of ‘seizing the moment.’

DiSesa’s big win at Rochester against an All-American, high-caliber opponent gave Harvard the edge it needed to win.

“There’s no such thing as last minute training [in squash]. It just doesn’t work,” West said. “You only get one shot at each game, and you have to perform on the day. And Verdi is bar none the best at that.”

The Crimson showcased its skill and heart last Wednesday, when it challenged No. 3 Yale and almost pulled off an upset against the Bulldogs. Harvard fell just short of a team victory, and Yale went home with the 5-4 win.

Coming off of that nail-biting match, the Crimson has been focusing on its mental sharpness. In the team’s final week of training, it is preparing to play outside of its comfort zone in order to pull off the exciting points and wins that will be critical to its success this weekend.

“[We’ve been focused on] playing the big points right,” West said. “We’ve had a lot of matches that have come down to the last point—the crisis point—and that’s what we’ve been working on, playing tough under those pressure situations.”