Men’s Squash Looks to Finish Third At CSA National Championships

The men’s squash team heads to Princeton, N.J. this weekend hoping to improve on, or at least preserve, its No. 4 ranking at the CSA National Championships. Of the 64 teams that will be in attendance, Cornell’s inclusion within the top eight means that it will be competing in the Potter Cup “A” division against the likes of Trinity, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Rochester, Penn and Dartmouth. The Red will kick things off at noon today, against Harvard, which, according to head coach Mark Devoy, poses the biggest threat if Cornell aims to maintain its seeding or improve on it.
“We beat [Harvard], 6-3, in the regular season, so we’re definitely looking to beat them again. And that will put us in the top four, which is all we can ask for right now,” said sophomore co-captain McKay Claghorn.
If the Red wins against Harvard at the Lawrenceville School, it will next take on No. 1 ranked Trinity, which is closing in on its 200th consecutive victory –– the nation’s longest active winning streak in any intercollegiate varsity sport. However, if Cornell were to lose in the quarterfinal round, the team would face No. 8 seeded Dartmouth.
“The team is currently the highest it’s ever been … in six years. We’re currently ranked fourth in the nation and we’re hoping … to have a go at finishing third, which is a possibility for us,” said Devoy. “Hopefully we can hold where we are [but] … what we’re looking for, is to finish third.”
Claghorn echoed his coach’s sentiment, “Our goal is to finish No. 3 in the country.”