The atmosphere in the squash facilities at Trinity College and Wesleyan University were electric on Saturday, with divisional and consolation semifinals in action throughout the day. Three of the four divisions featured upsets in the semifinals, leading to three surprise teams taking on top seeds in Sunday’s finals.
Once again, Trinity College, the hosts of the tournament’s main venue, were at the center of the action, this time against second-seeded Penn. A tense first wave of matches ended with Trinity ahead 2-1, including a win for Trinity at No. 7 following inappropriate actions by both players and a conduct penalty against Penn.
On the back of strong play by Penn’s middle of the order and a valiant comeback win at No. 2, the Quakers were on the edge of victory, up 4-3 with the final two matches on court. The first games of both of those matches went to Penn and had their spirits high, but Trinity’s No. 9 and then No. 3 players took control of their matches to turn the tide. Riding the boisterous home crowd and their improved game plans, the clinching points came in steady succession, securing a place in the Potter Cup final with a historic 5-4 victory.
On Sunday, Trinity will face top-seeded Harvard, who had their own hands full against 4-seed Yale. It was touch-and-go early in the match with Harvard up 2-1 and battles going at Numbers 2, 4, and 8, but the Crimson earned crucial victories at all three of those positions – including two five-gamers – to earn the requisite five match wins. The strength at the top of Harvard’s lineup proved to be the difference today.
The Hoehn Cup (B Division) is the only draw where the semifinals went according to seedings, but it was far from an easy road for finalists Columbia and Dartmouth. First, fourth-seeded Western pushed Columbia to the brink before Columbia’s No. 3 player ran away with the deciding game. Then, Williams almost scored an upset for the division, falling 12-10 in the fifth game at No. 3 with the team score tied at 4-4.
Headlining the evening session at Trinity, fourth-seeded St. Lawrence upset MIT for the second time in only a few weeks, capturing a close 5-4 win to earn a finals berth. There they will meet second seed Amherst, which outlasted an upstart Hobart squad. Amherst’s depth proved too potent for Hobart, and the Mammoths will be on the hunt for their first divisional championship since 2000.
In Conroy Cup action at Wesleyan on Saturday, top-seeded Bowdoin stormed to an 8-1 victory against the fourth-seeded hosts. On Sunday, Bowdoin will face the 3-seed, Dickinson, in a morning final at Trinity. Dickinson and second seed Navy met for the third time this season after splitting the first two meetings. Like the most recent result before today, Dickinson’s squad depth provided the boost it needed to get over the line and into the Conroy final.
All results are posted below, along with links to the full draws and select photographs from throughout the day at Trinity.
Potter Cup – National Championship Division
Semifinals:
(1) Harvard University def. (4) Yale University – 6-3
(6) Trinity College def. (2) University of Pennsylvania – 5-4
Consolation Semifinals:
(8) Cornell University def. (5) University of Virginia – 5-4
(7) Drexel University def. (3) Princeton University – 5-4
Semifinals:
(1) Columbia University def. (4) Western Ontario – 5-4
(2) Dartmouth College def. (2) Williams College – 5-4
Consolation Semifinals:
(8) Franklin and Marshall College vs. (5) University of Rochester – 5-4
(3) Chatham University def. (7) Tufts University – 6-3
Semifinals:
(4) St. Lawrence University def. (1) MIT – 5-4
(2) Amherst College def. (6) Hobart College – 7-2
Consolation Semifinals:
(5) Middlebury College def. (8) Hamilton College – 7-2
(3) Bates College def. (7) Colby College – 5-4
Semifinals:
(1) Bowdoin College def. (4) Wesleyan University – 8-1
(3) Dickinson College def. (2) Naval Academy – 5-4
1st Consolation Quarterfinals:
(5) Haverford College def. (9) Vassar College – 9-0
(6) Connecticut College def. (10) Bard College – 8-0*
1st Consolation Semifinals:
(5) Haverford College def. (8) Fordham University – 9-0
(6) Connecticut College def. (7) Denison University – 6-3
2nd Consolation Finals:
(9) Vassar College def. (10) Bard College – 7-1*
* Double default in the scoring
