In a men’s showdown that did not disappoint, the No. 2 Trinity College Bantams asserted their place, handing the No. 1 University of Pennsylvania a dramatic 5–4 defeat on Saturday at the Kellner Squash Courts.

The victory not only keeps Trinity perfect on the season (6–0) but also halts a historic run for the Quakers (7–1), snapping the defending national champions’ 30-match winning streak dating back to last year.

Trinity looked to set the tone early on home court. Newcomer Muhammad Ashab Irfan provided an immediate spark in his collegiate debut, sweeping the No. 2 match in straight games to give the Bantams early momentum. Trinity also found success in the bottom half of the lineup, with Dmytro Shcherbakov securing a 3–1 win at No. 7 and Eyad Awad pulling out a critical five-game victory at No. 9.

However, Penn’s Omar Hafez dominated the No. 1 spot with a 3–0 win over Joachim Chuah, and the Quakers picked up a default victory at No. 8 to keep the team score tight. The middle of the lineup turned into a grueling battleground; Penn’s Rustin Wiser won a marathon at No. 5, surviving a 17–15 fourth game, while Zane Patel added a win at No. 6 to counter a victory from Trinity’s Benedek Takács at No. 3.

With the teams trading blows all afternoon, the dual ultimately deadlocked at 4–4. The outcome of the entire match fell to the No. 4 position, featuring Trinity’s Low Wa-Sern against Penn’s Alexander Dartnell.

The pressure was immense, and momentum appeared to swing toward Penn as Dartnell took a 2–1 lead. But Wa-Sern refused to fold. The Trinity standout staged a gritty comeback, surviving a tense tie-break in the fourth game (12–10) to force a decider. In the final game, Wa-Sern seized control, winning 11–4 to clinch the upset and reassert Trinity’s dominance.

Full Match Results

Trinity College 5, University of Pennsylvania 4

1S: Omar Hafez (Penn) def. Joachim Chuah (Trinity) | 3–0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-5)

2S: Muhammad Ashab Irfan (Trinity) def. Salman Khalil (Penn) | 3–0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-5)

3S: Benedek Takacs (Trinity) def. Marwan Abdelsalam (Penn) | 3–1 (11-7, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9)

4S: Low Wa-Sern (Trinity) def. Alexander Dartnell (Penn) | 3–2 (11-6, 6-11, 9-11, 12-10, 11-4)

5S: Rustin Wiser (Penn) def. Huzaifa Ibrahim (Trinity) | 3–2 (13-11, 11-3, 5-11, 15-17, 11-8)

6S: Zane Patel (Penn) def. Segundo Portabales (Trinity) | 3–1 (11-8, 11-8, 4-11, 11-9)

7S: Dmytro Shcherbakov (Trinity) def. Gregory Malsang (Penn) | 3–1 (11-6, 11-8, 7-11, 11-7)

8S: Rehan Luthra (Penn) def. Daniel Simon (Trinity) | Default

9S: Eyad Awad (Trinity) def. Varun Chitturi (Penn) | 3–2 (5-11, 11-9, 11-2, 2-11, 11-9)