CANTON, N.Y. – The Haverford College men's squash team (6-9), seeded third in the Liberty League bracket heading into the weekend, secured third place in the Liberty League Championships with a dramatic 5-4 victory over Denison.
The third-place match began at the eighth position on the ladder, where Jackson Bragman earned Denison's first point of the day by defeating Garrett Fantini 11-4, 11-5, 11-9. The Big Red extended their lead to 2-0 after Tarun Mammen edged out Aaryaman Jaising in a grueling four-game battle, prevailing 11-8, 10-12, 11-6, 11-6 in the second flight. However, Haverford responded in the seventh flight, as Francis Betkowski dispatched Gus Nelson 11-9, 11-7, 12-10 to trim Denison's lead to 2-1.
All eyes turned to the sixth flight, where Qianzhi Zhao and Alex DeLuca engaged in an intense, hour-and-10-minute showdown. The two traded games before DeLuca ultimately clinched a crucial fifth set, securing an 11-8, 5-11, 16-18, 11-9, 11-3 victory and pushing Denison ahead 3-1.
With momentum hanging in the balance, the Fords stormed back with three consecutive victories to take a 4-3 lead. In the third flight, Kai Schinaman outlasted Lucas Piller in a five-game thriller, winning 10-12, 11-7, 11-8, 11-13, 11-6. Tarun Sargunar followed with an efficient 11-3, 14-12, 11-1 win over Ross Falcon in the fifth flight. Meanwhile, Arvin Krishnan battled through another five-game contest, edging out Wylly Molten 11-4, 6-11, 13-11, 9-11, 11-8.
At the top flight, Noah Tunis fell to Juan Felipe Hernandez 11-5, 11-8, 11-5, bringing the overall match to a 4-4 deadlock. That left the decisive fourth flight, where Henry Jiang dropped the opening game to Charlie Fenwick IV but roared back with three straight wins to claim a 4-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-8 victory. His clutch performance sealed the Fords' hard-fought 5-4 triumph, sparking a celebration at the Robie Squash Center.
The men's squash team will return to action on February 22, traveling to Carlisle, Pa., for the annual Centennial Conference Round Robin. Haverford is set to face No. 13 Franklin & Marshall at 1 p.m., followed by a 3 p.m. matchup against 26th-ranked host Dickinson.
