Cambridge, MA — Dartmouth, Haverford, and Richmond won their division titles at the 2017 Men’s National Team Championships.
B Division (Hoehn Cup): Dartmouth and Princeton played for the B Division title. The Hoehn Cup is named for former Dartmouth coach Edward “Red” Hoehn, but the Big Green hadn’t won the division since 2001. Princeton, however, won back-to-back B Division titles in 2014 and 2015. The two Ivy League squads, the top seeds in the division, had faced each other in mid-January, and Dartmouth edged out Princeton 5-4 on the Tigers’ home courts. At the start of today’s match, Princeton was presented with Sloane Award for team sportsmanship. The Tigers won a close four-game match at #3 to notch a point in the first round. Dartmouth answered by winning the two other matches in the first flight and sweeping the second, winning the division before the third round was on court. The final score was Dartmouth 7, Princeton 2.
E Division: (Chaffee Cup): Coming into today’s Chaffee Cup final, Haverford had already surpassed their single-season win record in the semifinals. To increase that record, they faced a formidable challenge in top-seeded Bucknell. The two squads played last weekend, and Bucknell had taken the 5-4 win on the Fords’ home courts. During today’s final, Haverford controlled the top of the order, winning positions 1 through 3, while Bucknell took matches 6 through 9. The middle of the order decided the match in the Fords’ favor, capping Haverford’s winningest season with a division title. The final score was Haverford 5, Bucknell 4.
F Division (Serues Cup): Richmond and Fordham hadn’t faced each other this season before today’s Serues Cup final. Fordham, the number two seed in the bracket, had advanced as seeded; Richmond, seeded last, had pulled off two upsets in a row, in order to make the final. Could the Spiders make it three in a row to take their first-ever division title? It didn’t take long to find out. Richmond took the first five matches on court to ensure that the Serues Cup would be headed south to Virginia. The final score was Richmond 6, Fordham 3.
