Harvard Men's and Women's Squash, Eager to Defend National Title, Win Season-Opening Matches

If there was ever any doubt to how the Harvard men’s and women’s squash teams would perform coming out of the summer hiatus, it can now all be erased.

After both Crimson squads closed out historic 2021-22 seasons, culminating in team College Squash Association (CSA) national titles for both divisions, Harvard reminded the college sports community once again how comfortable it is at the top of the podium. And the world did not forget this over the few summer months: as CSA pre-season rankings rolled in, the Crimson found itself sitting at the top, with a No. 1 ranking in the men’s division, and a No. 2 ranking for the women.

Nevertheless, there was still some uncertainty as the nine men of Harvard squash took to the court Saturday for their season debut against No. 10 Rochester. After all, the Crimson (2-0, 1-0) would be stepping back into the Murr Center without former first rung player Victor Crouin. Crouin, who graduated last year, has moved on to play with the Professional Squash Association World Tour, and currently sits as world No. 10—World No. 1 is a fellow Harvard alumnus, Ali Farag ’14.

But when assessing the Crimson squash roster, it is important to remember its consistent depth. Senior co-captain Marwan Tarek, a native of Cairo, Egypt, is off to a good start in his quest to fill the void left by Crouin’s departure. Tarek played two games last year as Harvard’s number one, winning both. Now the team’s heavy-hitter, Tarek stepped seamlessly into the top position last Saturday to take down Rochester’s star, fellow Cairene Abdelrahman Lasheen, in straight sets.

The hero of ast year’s CSA title game, junior Ido Burstein, has climbed his way up from the number six rung to number two. On Saturday, Burstein was forced to five sets by a late surge from the Yellow Jackets’ Yash Fadte. However, in the last set of the day, the composed veteran managed to secure the win for Harvard, halting Fadte’s momentum to complete the 9-0 sweep for the Crimson.

It was evident from Harvard’s win over the Yellow Jackets that this year’s men’s squash roster is fully loaded with offensive weapons. Other than Burstein’s five-set thriller, the Crimson wrapped up each of its matches with a clean 3-0, making it a relatively short day for fans; Harvard was able to finish points quickly with lots of aggressive attacking.

Sophomores Tate Harms and Ayush Menon highlighted head coach Mike Way’s philosophy of strong offense creating natural defense. Both players managed to sweep their opponents while only dropping a total of six points throughout their matches.

After its strong showing against another ranked team in its season opener, the Crimson already look to be among the favorites to defend its title next spring. The strong early-season showing continued on Wednesday, asHarvard convincingly dispatched Brown in its Ivy League opener.

Burstein, slotted in first for the clash, made much shorter work of his opponent this time around. Alongside all eight of his fellow Crimson compatriots, Burstein posted a 3-0 sweep.

Harms once again treated the crowd to an offensive-defense clinic, this time playing in Harvard’s fourth position. With strong cross-court attacking that pressured his opponent, the Swiss allowed only three points while scoring 33. Harms has now dropped just nine points across his first six sets this season.

Yes, Brown is an unranked team, and the Crimson has a 32-0 record against the Bears historically, but it is difficult to hide skill in the tiny confines of the 45’ x 25’ court. If the victory seemed easy, it was because Harvard did not ease off its opponents at any point in the matches.

The women’s team (1-0, 1-0) also experienced a significant shakeup this summer after graduating senior captain Hana Moataz – now also finding success in the PSA – and strong number three and fellow CSA All-American, senior Amina Yousry, from the program.

For Tuesday’s matches, also against Brown, Harvard entered the Murr Center to showcase the team’s new roster configuration in action. Current senior Marina Stefanoni now sits at the helm for the Crimson, with sophomore Habiba Eldafrawy playing in the second slot. Both Stafanoni and Eldafrawy, along with the rest of the Crimson, dismissed their opponents handily with 3-0 wins in a season and Ivy League opening sweep.

The win was the Crimson’s 50th straight over the Bears, and its 99th consecutive match win overall, the longest active win streak in women’s college squash. The Crimson will have the opportunity to extend this streak into the triple figures as it takes on Dartmouth in two weeks.

The women’s team will be heavily favored to extend the streak. The dominance Harvard exhibited on the Murr Center courts is something that fans and analysts alike have come to expect from any program under the direction of Way, who was inducted into the Canadian Squash Hall of Fame this summer. But nonetheless, although the level of competition that this Crimson team is showing has come to be expected, there are no guarantees when it comes to sustaining a dynasty this dominant.

Perhaps, without the talents of Moataz and Yousry, Harvard will eventually miss their two departed Egyptian stars, but the Crimson certainly look capable of producing similarly successful results to last year’s historic season. The big test will come later on, when Harvard faces No. 1 Trinity College. The Crimson is historically 10-0 against the Bantams, besting them 6-3 in an exciting set of matches last January when Harvard was ranked No.1.

The small liberal arts school from Hartford, Conn. plays its first game this coming Saturday against Bowdoin, which will give the Crimson an idea of what lies in store on Jan. 15, when the two Howe Cup favorites meet for the first – but likely not only – time this season.

—Staff writer Callum J. Diak can be reached at callum.diak@thecrimson.com.