HARTFORD, Conn. – Postseason accolades stacked up for the 2026 College Squash Association (CSA) National Champion Trinity College men's squash team, with four CSA All-Americans, the Skillman Award winner, three First-Team All-NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) selections, two Second-Team All-NESCAC selections, along with Player of the Year and Coaching Staff of the Year nods.
The CSA announced Friday (April 17) four All-America First-Team honors to seniors Joachim Chuah and Benedek Takacs, sophomore Wa-Sern Low, and first-year Muhammad Ashab Irfan. Trinity is the only program in which four members earned first-team status this year.
Chuah, Takacs, and Low received 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 Coaching Staff of the Year, while Chuah was named NESCAC Player of the Year.
Chuah becomes the 12th player in program history to receive four All-American honors, and the second in program history to earn two First-Team selections paired with two Second-Team honors (2023 Second Team, 2024 Second Team, 2025 First Team, and 2026 First Team). The last Bantam to earn four All-American honors was Juan Vargas (2012–2016), and the first to earn two First-Team and two Second-Team honors was Andres Vargas (2008–2011). Chuah becomes the second in program history to earn NESCAC Player of the Year in consecutive seasons (2025–2026), following Mohamed Sharaf '24, who collected the honor three times. He is also the third in program history to earn NESCAC All-Conference honors for four consecutive years.
Chuah finishes his collegiate campaign with a 64–12 career record, including a 20–3 season record. The Bantam is tied for the eighth-most career wins with Marcus Cowie '00, and is in a seven-way tie for seventh place with 20 season wins, the 13th-most in program history. Chuah made his second consecutive return to the semifinals of the CSA Potter Cup, with a 4–1 run in the individual championship bracket, falling to the University of Pennsylvania's Omar Hafez.
Along with the Bantams senior captain's successful campaign on the court, he was awarded the 2026 CSA Skillman Award, becoming the fourth in program history to earn this major achievement. To be nominated for the award, the athlete must be a senior men's player who demonstrates exceptional sportsmanship and a consistently high level of play throughout their collegiate career. The honor was presented by Trinity alum Gustav Detter, the 2009 Skillman Award recipient.
Takacs earned his second All-American honor, becoming the ninth player in program history to earn multiple All-American honors in a career, after logging a 23–3 record during his senior campaign and moving his career record to 42–13 overall. Takacs claimed First-Team All-NESCAC honors for the second consecutive season and is now the fourth in program history to earn four straight years of NESCAC All-Conference honors. He also finishes as the seventh player in program history to be named Rookie of the Year (2023).
Wa-Sern becomes the 10th all-time player to earn All-American status for a second season, and the eighth in program history since 2010 to earn First-Team All-American status as a sophomore, following Vikram Malhotra. Wa-Sern posted a 17–3 season record and a 26–8 career record, earning First-Team All-NESCAC honors.
Huzaifa Ibrahim made his second appearance on the NESCAC All-Conference Second Team after a 19–5 season record, bringing his career record to 42–12. Huzaifa advanced in the CSA Individual bracket after falling out of the Pool Trophy, entering the Pool D consolation bracket and climbing to the finals, where he claimed the Pool D title.
First-year Muhammad Ashab Irfan has been an incredible addition to the Bantams squash program, finishing the season with a 16–1 record, claiming CSA Individual Championship runner-up status, and becoming the ninth player in program history to earn CSA All-American First-Team honors in their rookie season. Ashab entered the lineup in January, where he played a major role at the number two spot on the Bantams ladder, adding wins against UPenn and Princeton to secure team victories and lift the Bantams into the No. 1 spot in the nation.
Segundo Portabales finished his rookie season 16–2, playing a key part in the bottom half of the ladder for the Bantams, including a win in the CSA Pool Trophy National Championship quarterfinals and semifinals in the No. 6 spot. Portabales earned NESCAC All-Conference Second-Team status.
The Trinity College 2025–26 team is now the 17th perfect season recorded in program history, with a 19–0 record. This is Moustafa Hamada's first National Championship as head coach and Paul Assaiante's 17th with the program.
TRINITY ATHLETICS
