PRINCETON, N.J. – The Penn men and Princeton women claimed team titles at the inaugural Ivy League Squash Tournaments. on Sunday, capping a weekend of high-level competition with dramatic finals at Princeton’s Racquet and Recreation Fieldhouse. Alexander Dartnell of Penn and Zeina Zein of Princeton were named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Players.
In the men’s championship, top-seeded Penn edged No. 2 Harvard, 5-4, in a tightly contested match that featured four five-game battles. Marwan Abdelsalam delivered a pivotal 3-2 victory over Omar Azzam at No. 3, rallying in a marathon fourth game and closing 12-10 in the fifth. Dartnell followed with a clutch 3-2 win against Christian Capella at No. 4, earning Most Outstanding Player honors after sealing one of the match’s decisive points.
Penn also received key contributions from Salman Khalil, who won in straight games at No. 2, and Zane Patel at No. 6, while Varun Chitturi delivered the clinching point at No. 8 with a four-game victory after the team score was deadlocked at 4-4. Harvard countered with wins from Gilevskiy, Maddox Moxham, Jacob Lin and Ishant Shah, but the Crimson fell just short as the Quakers secured the program’s championship with depth and resilience across the ladder.
On the women’s side, top-seeded Princeton defeated No. 2 Penn, 5-1, to capture the team title. Zein set the tone at the top of the lineup, earning a composed 3-0 victory over Penn’s Malak Khafagy in a matchup of All-Ivy standouts. Zein’s performance throughout the weekend earned her Most Outstanding Player recognition.
The Tigers controlled the remainder of the championship with wins from Emma Trauber at No. 3, Samantha Jaffe at No. 5, Liyen Teoh at No. 7 and Sonya Sasson at No. 9. Penn’s lone on-court point came from Sohaila Ismail at No. 4. With the victory, Princeton captured its 12th consecutive win.
The Ivies will gear up for the CSA National Team Championships, set for March 5-8 at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.
MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
#1 PENN 5, #2 HARVARD 4
1S —Denis Gilevskiy (H) def. Omar Hafez (P), 3-0 (11-9, 11-1, 11-7)
2S — Salman Khalil (P) def. David Costales (H), 3-0 (11-4, 11-3, 11-5)
3S — Marwan Abdelsalam (P) def. Omar Azzam (H), 3-2 (6-11, 11-9, 11-13, 17-15, 12-10)
4S — Alexander Dartnell (P) def. Christian Capella (H), 3-2 (12-10, 11-13, 11-6, 5-11, 11-9)
5S — Maddox Moxham (H) def. Rustin Wiser (P), 3-0 (11-7, 11-3, 11-7)
6S — Zane Patel (P) def. Alexander Broadbridge (H), 3-1 (11-6, 11-9, 10-12, 11-3)
7S — Jacob Lin (H) def. Rehan Luthra (P), 3-2 (6-11, 4-11, 8-11, 11-4, 9-11)
8S — Varun Chitturi (P) def. Segev Rome (H), 3-1 (13-11, 11-4, 10-12, 11-5)
9S — Ishant Shah (H) def. Hao Cui (P), 3-2 (11-13, 11-0, 11-9, 4-11, 11-5)
WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
#1 PRINCETON 5, #2 PENN 1
1S —Zeina Zein (P) def. Malak Khafagy (Penn), 3-0 (13-11, 11-5, 11-3)
2S — Default
3S — Emma Trauber (P) def. Malak Taha (Penn), 3-1 (11-3, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6)
4S — Sohaila Ismail (Penn) def. Charlotte Bell (P), 3-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-4)
5S — Samantha Jaffe (P) def. Alexandra Stoddard (Penn), 3-1 (8-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-9)
6S — Default
7S — Liyen Teoh (P) def. Hailey Shing-Fei Wong (Penn), 3-0 (11-3, 11-5, 11-7)
8S — Default
9S — Sonya Sasson (P) def. Savannah Margot Ingledew (Penn), 3-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-6)