MEN’S SQUASH: Bulldogs triumph with double victory weekend
Over the weekend, the men’s squash team clinched impressive wins on the road against Columbia and Cornell.
Yale Athletics
This weekend, the men’s squash team (7–1, 4–1 Ivy) traveled to New York, NY to compete
against Columbia University (4–5, 0–3 Ivy) on Saturday then traveled up to Ithaca, NY to face off against Cornell University (7–4, 0–3 Ivy) on Sunday. These pivotal matches marked significant milestones in their quest for an Ivy title.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs played Columbia, clinching a narrow victory against the Lions with a score of 5–4.
Siow Yee Xian ’24 secured an impressive straight-set win as the No. 1 seeded player for the Blue and White, maintaining his undefeated streak for the season, a streak that would be broken the next day after he fell to the Big Red.
“The highlight for me is definitely coming back from 2–4 and beating Columbia 5–4,” Siow Yee Xian wrote to the News. “This really showed that all of the work we’ve done on and off court is paying off, especially on the mental side where the whole team stayed really positive and composed no matter whether we were winning or losing.”
The Bulldogs have 12 wins and five losses against the Lions since 2011. In 2023, they beat
Columbia in a commanding 9–0 showing.
On Sunday, the Bulldogs competed against Cornell with a decisive victory over the Big Red.
“My favorite moment was watching Lachlan [Sutton ’27] clinch the win against Cornell,” Tad Carney ’26 wrote to the News. “It was a big moment for him and the team, making it a lot less stressful than it was against Columbia the day before.”
The Bulldogs beat the Big Red 7–2. Tad Carney, Nikhil Ismail ’25 and Brian Leonard ’24 all beat their opponents in dominant 3–0 games.
Since 2011, the Bulldogs have 15 wins and one loss against Cornell. The Bulldogs beat the Big Red last season with a score of 9–0.
Looking ahead, the Bulldogs take on the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University this weekend at home. These games mark the last two conference matches before the men’s team gears up for the College Squash Association National Championships.
“Throughout this week, [men’s and women’s head coach] Lynn [Leong] and the rest of the coaching staff have maintained the team’s focus on the week’s goal: defeating Penn and Princeton,” men’s captain Brian Leonard wrote to the News. “Playing Ivy matches are always tough, but the team is ready for a big weekend ahead.”
Games this weekend against UPenn and Princeton start at 12 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, respectively, at the Brady Squash Center inside Payne Whitney Gymnasium.