NEW YORK, NY – Trinity College Men's Squash had six athletes qualify to compete in the College Squash Association Individual Championships, held in New York, NY, over the weekend (January 25-28).
The Bantams had three athletes in the Pool Trophy, the top division featuring 32 of the best male squash players in the country: Mateo Restrepo (#2), Benedek Takacs (#8), and Joachim Chuah (#32).
Ismail Ahmed represented Trinity in the Molloy North Division, Dmytro Shcherbakov competed in the Molloy South Division, and Huzaifa Ibrahim played in the Molloy East Division.
Saturday Recap:
Joachim Chuah had an outstanding day, winning twice to secure a spot in the Pool Trophy quarterfinals and earning First Team All-American honors. He started with a dominant 3-0 victory over Yale's senior (11-2, 11-8, 11-2). Later in the day, he defeated a strong freshman from Penn in four games (12-10, 9-11, 11-6, 11-4).
"He's showing his class so far, and we hope he keeps getting better with every round," said Head Coach Moustafa Hamada.
Huzaifa Ibrahim also had a successful day, winning 3-0 against Franklin & Marshall's Marco G. DiFilippo (11-7, 11-7, 11-4) in the Molloy Cup (East), advancing to Sunday's matches.
Ismail Ahmed triumphed 3-1 over Chatham's #1 player (11-4, 10-12, 11-9, 11-8), securing his spot in the semifinals of the Molloy North Division, to be held on Sunday.
Dmytro Shcherbakov lost his first-round match to a tricky opponent from Western Ontario but found his rhythm in the consolation round.
Both Benedek Takacs and Mateo Restrepo were eliminated from the tournament after falling in their second matches. Restrepo, who entered the Pool Trophy at the last minute due to a withdrawal, faced the top-ranked college player and lost in straight games. He then played a tight match against Columbia's #2, ultimately falling 3-2.
Takacs lost to Harvard's #3 player and then to Princeton's #1.
Sunday Recap:
Joachim Chuah began Sunday with a strong 3-1 win over UVA's #1 player (11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 11-4). With this victory, Chuah advanced to Monday's match at the Tournament of Champions, to be held on the glass court at Grand Central Terminal.
Huzaifa Ibrahim had an impressive day, defeating both St. Lawrence's Gregory Malsang (11-7, 11-3, 11-7) and Rochester's Dhirren Rajarathinam (11-8, 11-6, 12-10) in straight games to claim the Molloy North title without dropping a single game. It was a remarkable weekend for Huzaifa, showcasing his skill and mental toughness.
Dmytro Shcherbakov won the consolation match for the Molloy South Division, defeating Columbia's #5 player.
Monday Recap:
In the Pool Trophy semifinals, Joachim Chuah faced UPenn's Omar Hafez on the blue court at Grand Central Terminal at 1:45 PM. Chuah started strong with an 11-8 win in the opening game. However, despite a hard-fought battle, Chuah ultimately lost 3-1, concluding his tournament run.
