Men’s squash tops Yale in dramatic fashion for 13th-straight national championship title

Senior Chris Binnie prevailed under pressure to give Trinity its fifth point in a 5-4 comeback victory over Yale in the College Squash Association (CSA) National Championship Final at the Murr Center at Harvard University. Trinity earns its record 13th consecutive National Championship Title and extends the longest winning streak in the history of intercollegiate varsity sports to 244 games in a row, ending their season with a flawless 20-0 record.

Yale held a 3-2 lead heading into the final round of games, but Trinity strung off three wins in the next four games, with their backs against the wall, to escape with victory. Junior Vikram Malholtra tied the score at 3-3 with a 3-0 win in the No. 1 spot, before junior John Roberts put Yale back on top, 4-3, with a tight five-set win. Sophomore Johan Detter tied the score at 4-4 with a 3-0 win of his own. In the winner-take-all final game at the No. 4 spot, Binnie responded to the pressure with a 3-1 win, giving the Bantams the dramatic triumph. Binnie fought to consecutive 11-9 wins to start the game before Dodd answered with an 11-9 win of his own. Binnie prevented Dodd from gaining momentum and forcing a fifth game, by sealing the win for the Bantams, with an 11-7 win in the fourth set.

“This team is just a big family—nine hearts beat as one,” head coach Paul Assaiante said after the game. “Those guys never gave in. It was the most courageous group performance I’ve ever been a part of.”

Yale started the day with a 2-0 lead behind a 3-0 win from senior Christopher Plimpton and a 3-1 win from sophomore Kenneth Chan in the No. 9 and No. 3 spots. Trinity answered with a win in the No. 6 spot from junior Antonio Diaz to cut the lead to 2-1, but Yale would take two more wins in the second round of games to gain a 4-2 lead over the defending champions, forcing the Bantams to win the final three matches. Trinity defeated Yale 6-3 last season in the National Championship Final, and edged Princeton 5-4 in the final two years ago.