Men’s Squash Triumphs

The Middlebury men’s squash team concluded the CSA Team Championships Summers Cup with a 5-4 triumph over 17th-ranked Williams to claim third place in their bracket. To start the match off, freshman Teddy Best won a point for the Panthers at No. 6 in a swift three games and junior captain William Cembalest won another at No. 3 in four games. After Williams took a point to make the score 2-1, junior Jacob Ellen advanced the score to 3-1 in a three-game win at No. 2. With the score at 3-3 after two more points went to the Ephs, the Panthers responded with a win by first-year Justin Ghaeli at No. 1 and a match clinching three-game victory by junior John Epley at No. 7. 

This match marked the third time the Panthers faced the Ephs this season. The Middlebury squad embraced the challenge with open arms, eager for redemption after the Ephs won the previous encounter by a 4-5 margin during the NESCAC semifinals. Epley commented, “It feels great to finish the season with a winning record against Williams. We view them as perhaps our biggest rivals and always enjoy beating them. This win will give us confidence going into next year, as we aren’t losing any seniors”.

Prior to Williams, the Panthers faced 23rd-ranked Bowdoin in the quarterfinal round of the tournament, sending the Polar Bears home with a blistering 9-0 defeat. Returning the following day for their semifinals match, the squad slipped to 19th -ranked Brown by a 6-3 margin. Alex Merrill ’21 scored one point for Middlebury at No. 9 in a four-game victory, and the other two Panthers points were won by Nick Bermingham at No. 5 and John Epley at No. 7, both in five sets. 

A select few will return to the courts from Thursday, Feb. 28 to Saturday, March 2 to compete at the CSA Individual Championships hosted by Brown University and Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island.