Hartford, Conn. - The visiting Trinity College Bantams recorded a 6-3 victory over the Harvard University Crimson in men's squash action this afternoon at Barnaby Courts.  Trinity, ranked No. 1 nationally, improves to 16-1 with its fifth-straight win, while No. 3-ranked Harvard falls to 8-3 with its first loss in eight matches and its first home setback since a 5-4 loss to the Bantams on February 12, 2013 (18 wins in a row). The win also gives Trinity some revenge after a 9-0 loss to the Crimson in last season's College Squash Association (CSA) National Championship Finals at Harvard.  This year's tournament will take place at Trinity for the first time on February 20 to 22.

Trinity led, 2-1, after the first wave, as first-year Omar Allaudin (Lahore, Pakistan) started things off with a 3-1 win at No. 9 and fellow rookie James Evans (Maidstone, England) stayed perfect for his collegiate career (15-0) with a 3-2 triumph over Harvard sophomore Devin McLaughlin (Villanova, Pa.) in the No. 6 match. After 3-1 Harvard win at No. 3 by freshman Bradley Smith (Lancashire, England) over Trinity first-year Rick Penders (Maastricht, Netherlands), Bantam senior Miled Zarazua (Mexico City, Mexico) recorded an impressive 3-0 sweep of Harvard sophomore Dylan Murray (Bronxville, N.Y.) in the No. 2 match.  Zarazua won the first game, 11-4, and held off Murray in the second, 12-10, and the third, 16-14 for a 3-1 Bantam lead.  Murray and Zarazua were ranked No. 17 and No. 18, respectively, in the nation among individuals at the end of last season.

The teams split the final two matches of the second wave with Trinity sophomore Affeeq Ismail (Kuching, Malaysia) winning, 3-2, at No. 8, recovering from an 11-3 loss in the fourth game to win the fifth, 11-9, and Harvard freshman David Ryan (Dublin, Ireland) taking the No. 5 match, 3-1.  Trinity senior co-captain Moustafa Hamada (Alexandria, Egypt) and junior Juan Vargas (Bogota, Colombia) played side-by-side on Courts 4 and 5, respectively, vying for the clinching fifth point, and Vargas finished off his opponent first, 3-0, in the No. 4 position to clinch the team victory for the Bantams.  Vargas grinded out a 12-10 win in game one against Harvard sophomore Bryan Koh (Singapore), before breezing through the next two games, 11-4, and, 11-2.  Hamada completed a 3-1 win at No. 7 shortly after, while Crimson freshman Madhaz Dhingra (Delhi, India) outlasted Bantam senior Vrishab Kotian (Mumbai, India) at the top of the ladder for a 3-2 win to close out the scoring.

MATCH RESULTS
1. H- Madhaz Dhingra d. Vrishab Kotian, 6-11, 11-8, 6-11, 12-10, 11-6
2. TC- Miled Zarazua d. Dylan Murray, 11-4, 12-10, 16-14
3. H- Bradley Smith d. Rick Penders, 11-8, 6-11, 11-5, 11-7
4. TC- Juan Vargas d. Bryan Koh, 14-12, 11-4, 11-2
5. H- David Ryan d. Karan Malik, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 13-11
6. TC- James Evans d. Devin McLaughlin, 5-11, 11-3, 8-11, 11-6, 11-3
7. TC- Moustafa Hamada d. Matt Roberts, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-3
8. TC- Affeeq Ismail d. Tyler Olson, 11-13, 11-7, 11-8, 3-11, 11-9
9. TC- Omar Allaudin d. Seif Elienen, 11-4, 9-11, 117-15, 11-7
Trinity (Conn.) 6, Harvard 3