Photos credit: Chris McClintick, Director of Communications at US Squash
The University of Pennsylvania successfully defended its national title on Sunday, March 9, defeating Yale University 6-3 to win the 2025 CSA Men’s National Collegiate Team Championship (Potter Cup). The top-seeded Quakers, who entered the tournament undefeated, started fast and managed to hold off a push from the third-seeded Bulldogs to claim their second consecutive championship.
Penn wasted no time setting the tone, taking an early 3-0 lead in the first wave of matches. Omar Hafez got things started with a sweep, followed quickly by Abdelrahman Dweek, who secured a straight-game win at the #8 position. Marwan Abdelsalam lost his opening game but responded emphatically, winning the next three to extend Penn’s lead. With the second wave underway, Nicholas Spizzirri delivered a clinical three-game victory, giving the Quakers a commanding 4-0 advantage.
At that stage, Penn seemed in control, but Yale fought back. Merritt Wurts won a grueling five-game match over Varun Chitturi, battling through multiple match points before taking the decider 11-9. Meanwhile, Rishi Srivastava secured another point for Yale, defeating Dana Santry in four games after a hard-fought third and fourth game. With the overall match score at 4-2, all attention turned to the final three matches on court.
On the show court, Salman Khalil and Tad Carney were locked in a tense battle. After splitting the first two games—Carney edging the second 13-11—the third game proved pivotal. Khalil managed to pull it out 11-9, and with the momentum on his side, he took the fourth game 11-3, securing the deciding fifth point for Penn and sealing the Potter Cup. As per tournament rules, once a team secures five wins, any remaining matches are abandoned. Nathan Kueh was leading Rohan Gondi 2-1 at the time, while Zane Patel was trailing Max Forster 2-1 when play was halted.
With the 6-3 victory, Penn capped off an undefeated season and claimed back-to-back national championships. The atmosphere was electric throughout the match, with both teams delivering high-level squash in front of an engaged crowd. Yale, coming off an impressive semifinal win over Princeton, pushed Penn to the finish, but the Quakers held firm to once again stand atop college squash.
