t is impossible to tell when freshman Christian Capella is having a bad day. Known on the Harvard men’s squash team for his positivity on court and his dedication to the game, it is no surprise that he had such a strong start to his collegiate career.

“Christian gives it his all even when he’s not feeling his best,” explained Luke Hammond, Ed.M. ’19, Harvard’s assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. “He’s the sort of person who can drive himself so hard that sometimes, as a coach, you’ve got to pull the reins in on him.”

Capella’s commitment to squash was evident even during his high school career. As a student at Deerfield Academy, the Tuxedo Park, N.Y., native had to balance a rigorous academic workload with traveling across the country to compete in squash tournaments, often several states away.

“He didn’t have access to coaching in the way that he might if he were in a major squash city like Philadelphia or New York,” said Hammond. “I was just so impressed with his independence in terms of his work ethic.”

His drive and determination served him well throughout his time on the junior circuit. A three-time United States Junior National Champion, Capella qualified for the prestigious JP Morgan Tournament of Champions in NYC in 2025 at only 17 years old, where he competed against the best players from around the world.

During his college recruiting process, Hammond and Hameed Ahmed, Harvard’s associate head coach, were consistently impressed with Capella’s enthusiasm for the game.

“He was just a very personable guy who really seemed like the sort of person who was going to be a fit on the team right away. Everybody loved him when he came for his visit, so he really checked every box for us,” explained Hammond.

Once at Harvard, it took hardly any time for Capella to make his mark on the program. While playing in the fourth spot on the ladder, he dominated his competition, racking up 10 wins and only three losses. When elevated to the third spot, he once again demonstrated his prowess, winning both matches he played in the higher position. Capella’s success did not go unnoticed. The rookie won Harvard squash’s Most Valuable Player Award and was also named a Collegiate Squash Association (CSA) Second-Team All-American.

To dominate at the Ivy League level is no small feat. Consistently featured in the top spots of the CSA rankings, the teams recruit heavily from across the globe. In fact, this year, three of the four teams in the national championship semifinals were Ivies, including Harvard, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania. The Crimson specifically has won no fewer than 35 national championship titles, a legacy that the freshman has taken in stride.

Across the board, Capella’s coaches lauded him for his coachability and dedication to the Harvard program.

“He’s the sort of player who comes to the court with, always at the front of his mind, what do I need to improve and what do I need to work on? He doesn’t let his ego get in the way, and he’s the sort of person who’s always looking for the extra edge, no matter how small it is,” said Hammond.

However, the road to dominance has not been entirely smooth for Capella, who battled a long-term back injury as he made the tough transition from juniors to collegiate competition.

“It was on and off for seven months, and I obviously started the season not at the level that I wanted to be at,” Capella explained.

Despite struggling with injuries early in his rookie campaign, Capella’s persistent effort and genuine passion for the game allowed him to improve over the course of the year. His favorite memory of the season comes from that time of uncertainty, when he faced off against Yale’s junior Lachlan Sutton, who plays second on the Bulldogs’ ladder, back in January at the CSA Individual National Championships.

“I went five games with [Sutton], and it was an epic match; we fought super hard. I ended up losing the match, but that’s just because he played super well. I think I did all the right things, and I was just proud. I was like, ‘that’s the Christian Capella before my back injury,’” Capella reflected.

Even though his loss to Sutton was the first of Capella’s collegiate career, the rookie’s enthusiasm for the sport is clear, and it stems from his inherent love of squash.

“I’m not the type of guy, like a lot of people that you meet, who plays sports because they want to get into college or to fulfill their parents’ dream or something,” Capella said. “I just enjoy the game.”

Capella’s love of the game has translated to intense competitiveness at times, most evident through his fierce rivalry with Penn’s Alexander Dartnell. Dartnell and Capella met several times in both their junior careers and in their rookie seasons, trading wins and developing a true rivalry. Despite the fierce battles between the two, it was Capella who walked away with the Ivy League Rookie of the Year title, a fact that, according to Capella, irked the Quakers to no end.

“He was the only person in the Ivy League to beat me, and he was a little bit mad,” Capella said. “All the Penn guys were like, oh [Dartnell] is the ٍreal Ivy League Rookie of the Year.”

Determined to prove the doubters wrong, Capella made it his goal to beat his rival at the CSA national championships in March.

“I went two-love down in that match, and then somehow pulled it through in five games, and that was a match that brought us to the finals of nationals,” Capella reflected. “So, that was a really, really satisfying win, for sure.”

“Not everyone would expect Christian to win that one,” said Hammond. “He was able to stay really calm in a big moment. That was one of the wins that really helped us get momentum.”

Although his team ultimately fell 5-3 to Trinity in the ensuing national championship match, Capella put a fitting finish to his incredible rookie season with a 3-2 victory in the longest battle of the afternoon.

As he continues to grow as a player, the challenge will be balancing his academics with squash. Planning to double-concentrate in economics and history, Capella is still figuring out how to manage a Division I sport and the rigorous workload Harvard requires.

“I’ve been having to make my practices a lot more efficient just because I’m doing other clubs, and I’m focusing a lot more on my academics,” Capella explained.

As a key member of the Crimson’s tight-knit squad, Capella is sure to see greater success in the future. While he does have dreams of winning a national championship, it is his pursuit of individual growth that remains at the forefront of his mind when he plays squash. It is clear that his passion drives his victories and is fundamental to his strength as an athlete.

“If he’s able to keep a good sense of balance and perspective and just feel positive about his squash, then he’s going to do great things,” Hammond said.

—Staff writer Matilda C. Genieser can be reached at [email protected].