HARTFORD, Conn. – Trinity College Men's Squash joined alumni, family, and friends of the program on Saturday evening (October 24) at the Kovas Squash Center for a ring ceremony honoring the 2026 Collegiate Squash Association (CSA) Potter Cup National Team Champions.
The celebration took place during Trinity College's Fall Weekend, following the Bantams' football and women's soccer games. The ceremony began at 4:45 p.m. inside the Kovas Squash Center, located within the newly constructed Scully Center. Prior to the football game, the Bantams' championship squad, alongside Head Coach Moustafa Hamada, was recognized at midfield for their national championship achievement.
"The achievements of the 2025-26 National Championship winning Men's Squash team will live forever in the annals of Trinity College. Winning the program's 18th title, while achieving a perfect 19-0 season, was the most fitting scenario for Moustafa Hamada to win his first national championship as our head coach. The fact that Coach Hamada could share this moment with Paul Assaiante; the legendary coach for whom Mous played for and won 2 national championships under here at Trinity, was a full circle moment for this storied program. Congratulations to our student-athletes and the hard-working faculty and staff who have supported them along the way. You have made the entire Trinity community proud, both on campus and around the world," Said Trinity College Athletic Director Gavin Viano
The national championship lineup that competed in the title match featured Joachim Chuah '26 (#1), Muhammed Ashab Irfan '29 (#2), Benedek Takacs '26 (#3), Wa-Sern Low '28 (#4), Huzaifa Ibrahim '28 (#5), Segundo Portabales '29 (#6), Dmytro Shcherbakov '27 (#7), Daniel Simon '26 (#8), and Javier Romo Lopez '29 (#9).
Those nine individuals, along with the 10 other members of the championship squad, received their 2026 National Championship rings, celebrating their historic season and showcasing their well-deserved hardware.
The 2026 CSA Team National Championships were held at the Arlen Specter Squash Center in Philadelphia, Pa., in March. The Bantams opened their championship run with a dominant 7-2 victory over No. 8 Princeton University in the Potter Cup Quarterfinals before downing No. 5 Yale University, 8-1, in the semifinals to secure their spot in the national championship match against Harvard University.
The Bantams capped off their historic season with a perfect 19-0 record, marking the 16th undefeated season in program history en route to their 18th National Championship and first since the 2017-18 season.
The championship matchup against Harvard marked the second meeting between the two programs that season, following their highly competitive January 30th contest at the Kovas Squash Center on Trinity's Senior Day.
The national championship match brought another hard-fought battle between the two programs. Trinity's Wa-Sern Low suffered a similar fate to his January matchup, while senior Benedek Takacs found redemption after previously falling to Harvard's Omar Azzam in five games. Takacs rewrote the script in their championship meeting, securing a three-game sweep over Azzam to earn a crucial point for the Bantams.
Harvard's Maddox Moxham and Jacob Lin answered with victories over Trinity's Huzaifa Ibrahim and Dmytro Shcherbakov, keeping the championship tightly contested.
A pivotal turning point came when Daniel Simon secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Segev Rome, setting the stage for Javier Romo Lopez to deliver the deciding point. Lopez battled his way to a gritty 3-1 victory, clinching the 5-3 championship win for the Bantams and bringing the Potter Cup back to Hartford.
"It was an incredible evening at the Kovas Squash Center as we celebrated our 18th National Championship and an undefeated season. Having some of the most iconic figures in our program's history join us made the occasion even more memorable. Different generations of Trinity Squash came together to celebrate our rich tradition of excellence and recognize a team that has cemented its own place in our program's history.
I want to thank President Lugo, Gavin Viano, and our Athletics and Advancement teams for their support in putting together such a wonderful event. I am also grateful to our coaches and support staff, whose hard work and dedication to our student-athletes played an important role in this achievement," said Head Men's Squash Coach Moustafa Hamada
Hamada continued, "on a personal level, winning my first national championship as head coach with this incredible team is something I will never forget. I was truly overwhelmed by the love and support from so many members of the Trinity community who came together to celebrate this special moment with us."
Beyond the national championship title, the championship team boasted an impressive collection of 19 consecutive New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championships following their February campaign at the 2026 NESCAC Championships, hosted by Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. For more on last year's championship run, visit the full press release here.
Individual accolades were far from few in the coop, with four Bantams earning 2026 CSA First-Team All-American honors, including seniors Joachim Chuah and Benedek Takacs, sophomore Wa-Sern Low, and first-year Muhammed Ashab Irfan. Chuah, Takacs, and Low also received 2026 All-NESCAC First-Team honors, along with second-team nods to sophomore Huzaifa Ibrahim and first-year Segundo Portabales. The Bantams' coaching staff of Moustafa Hamada, Ashraf Yassin, and Paul Assaiante earned NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors, while Chuah was named NESCAC Player of the Year.
Adding to the team's impressive list of accomplishments, Chuah was named the recipient of the 2026 CSA Skillman Award, becoming the fourth player in program history to earn the prestigious honor. To be nominated for the award, an athlete must be a senior men's squash player who demonstrates exceptional sportsmanship and a consistently high level of play throughout their collegiate career. The honor was presented by Trinity alumnus Gustav Detter, the 2009 Skillman Award recipient.
At the helm of the program for three seasons, Moustafa Hamada boasts an impressive list of coaching accolades, including back-to-back-to-back NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors in 2024, 2025 and 2026. During his tenure at Trinity, Hamada has coached 10 CSA All-American selections, 16 NESCAC All-Conference honorees, and three consecutive NESCAC Players of the Year in Mohamed Sharaf (2024) and Joachim Chuah Han Wen (2025, 2026), along with a Skillman Award recipient.
A 2015 Trinity alumnus, Hamada now boasts a combined seven NESCAC titles and three National Championship titles, including those earned during his playing career in 2013 and 2015.
"In my 34 years at Trinity, I have never been so proud to be a small part of the Trinity family. Breathe this moment in, Bants, and now start building the road to the next one," said Head Men's Squash Coach Emeritus Paul Assaiante.
Despite stepping away from his role as head coach following a historic 30-year tenure at the helm of the program, Assaiante remains actively involved with Trinity Men's Squash, continuing to support the Bantams and the program he helped build into a national powerhouse.
The Trinity College Men's Squash team will begin its 2026-27 campaign with a November 21st road match against No. 18 Amherst College before returning to Hartford on Sunday to compete against No. 10 Cornell University. The Bantams will host five consecutive home contests in December before the College's winter break.
The Bantams enter the season ranked No. 2 nationally in the CSA preseason poll. Despite the loss of three key players in Joachim Chuah, Daniel Simon, and Benedek Takacs, the Bantams are eager to return to the hardwood and compete against some of the nation's top-ranked programs. Chuah will return to the sidelines this season, joining the coaching staff as the Assistant Men's Squash Coach for the 2026-27 campaign.
TRINITY ATHLETICS
