Season Recap: Men’s Squash Finishes Fifth; West Wins National Title

Photo courtesy of Gil Talbot Photography.

The Harvard men’s squash team held onto the No. 5 national ranking throughout the season. The Crimson picked up seven wins during the year and garnered a CSA individual championship as Colin West became the 33rd player in program history to capture the national individual title.

The Season:
The Crimson began the season on a four-game win streak. Harvard rolled past Brown, 9-0, to start the year. The Crimson rattled off three straight 6-3 victories, downing Williams, Dartmouth and Cornell. Rochester handed Harvard its first loss of the season, a 7-2 decision. The Crimson suffered its second-consecutive loss on the year, falling to No. 1 Trinity 9-0. Harvard rebounded to grab a 7-2 win over Penn before losing to Princeton, 7-2. The Crimson wrapped up the season with an 8-1 loss to Yale.  Harvard ended the regular season ranked No. 5 with a 7-5 mark and a 4-2 record in the Ivy League, good for third in the conference.

Harvard opened up play at the CSA Team Championships with an 8-1 loss to Princeton. The Crimson picked up a pair of 7-2 victories over Western Ontario and Cornell, en route to a fifth place finish.

At the CSA Individual Championships, senior co-captain Colin West became the latest Crimson squash player to win the national individual title, the Pool Cup. West went 5-0 at the CSA Individual Championships and also took home the Skillman Trophy, which is awarded to a senior men’s squash player who has demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship during his entire college career. West swept the "A" Division national final against Princeton's Todd Harrity, winning in consecutive games. West took the first game, 11-9, before claiming game two in overtime, 13-11. West then clinched the national crown with an 11-1 showing in game three.

Freshman Jason Michas reached the finals of the Molloy Cup at the CSA Individual Championships. In the finals, Michas took game one, 11-9, but dropped the second game to Chris Plimpton of Yale, 11-8. With the match tied, 1-1, Plimpton went ahead, as he won game three, 11-4.  Michas tied the match in the next set, 11-9, but Plimpton outlasted him in the final game with an 11-9 showing.

The Numbers:
West completed his senior campaign with a 16-1 record at the No. 1 slot. Jason Michas posted an 11-6 record on the season, seeing action at the No. 5 spot. Richard Hill sported a record of 9-6 on the year, playing mainly at the No. 2 position.

The Hardware:
West and Hill were honored on the College Squash Association All-America teams. West earned his third straight nod to the All-America first team, while Hill garnered a spot on the second team.

Looking Forward:
The Crimson graduates four seniors from this year’s squad. Harvard will return three juniors, two sophomores and four freshmen next season.