Recap courtesy of College Squash Assciation

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Trinity College secured the 2025 CSA Women’s Team National Championship (Howe Cup) in dramatic fashion on Sunday, March 9, defeating Harvard University 5-4 in a match that came down to the final court. The top-seeded Bantams and second-seeded Crimson battled for over three hours, with momentum shifting throughout the morning before Trinity ultimately emerged victorious. With the win, Trinity successfully defended its national title, securing back-to-back championships.

Harvard struck first, as Brecon Welch earned a four-game victory over Fabiola Cabello to put the Crimson on the board. Lucie Stefanoni followed with a hard-fought five-game win against Noa Romero, giving Harvard a 2-0 lead. Moments later, Hanna Chukwu responded for Trinity, battling past Habeeba Eldefrawy in five games to earn the Bantams’ first point.

Trinity continued to gain ground when Varvara Esina defeated Emma Carney in four games, leveling the overall score at 2-2. Harvard quickly regained the lead as Caroline Fouts overcame Jana Safy in four games, making it 3-2 in favor of the Crimson. Janna Ashmawy delivered a crucial win for Trinity, defeating Amira Singh in straight games to bring the match to 3-3.

Meanwhile, Luján Palacios was in the middle of a grueling contest with Molly Stoltz, ultimately winning in five games to give Trinity its first lead of the match at 4-3. Saran Nghiem answered for Harvard, defeating Malak Ashraf Kamal in four games to tie the score again at 4-4. With the national championship on the line, the final match between Trinity’s Kara Lincou and Harvard’s Ocean Ma took center stage. With a packed crowd surrounding Court 4, Lincou held her nerve, securing a straight-game victory and clinching the Howe Cup for Trinity.

The 5-4 win sealed the Bantams’ second consecutive national championship, completing a championship run as the tournament’s #1 seed. The final match was a fitting conclusion to an incredibly competitive weekend, with both teams displaying remarkable skill and resilience.

WESLEYAN DEFENDS WALKER CUP CROWN (courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics)
Reaching the Walker Cup final for the second consecutive year, the Wesleyan women's squash team proved up to the task once again to defend their Walker Cup Crown, the C Division title of the College Squash Association's Team Division Championships, and took down No. 22 Franklin and Marshall College, 8-1, at the Arlen Spector US Squash Center.

Making their 17th all-time appearance in the CSA Team Division Championships in a title rematch with the Diplomats, the Cardinals posted 3-0 sweeps up and down the lineup, finishing their matches in under 25 minutes. The second title in program history came in just the fourth matchup in the C Division, the Cardinals making appearances in 2012, 2013, and 2024. In the 2024 Walker Cup final, the Cardinals defeated the Diplomats 5-4.

Senior Portia Pliam dropped only two points in 10 minutes, to defeat her opponent No. 9 (11-1, 11-1, 11-0). On Pliam's heels, Leandra Sze held her opponent to  six points through all three games and won 11-2, 11-1, 11-3 at the No. 8 position. Featured at No. 2, Avika Pande walked away with another point for the Cardinals, winning 11-5, 11-6, 11-5 over her Diplomat opponent. Katherin Risden's performance at No. 7 earned her a point and match win as she went 11-5, 11-4, 11-5. At the No. 6 spot, Penelope Furnas edged played to extra points in game three but completed the win with an 11-8, 11-9, 12-10 final tally. Playing at No. 4 all season, Jaclyn Dichter finished out a sweep, posting 11-5, 11-5, 11-9, and Aanya Anand won all three games (11-8, 11-7, 11-8) at No. 3.

With victory awaiting as one more point was to be had, Rachel Matamoros closed out the match win for the Cardinals at No. 5 after being forced to five games in a 3-2 triumph (11-4, 11-5, 9-11, 9-11, 11-3) final score turned over the Walker Cup to the Cardinals.

CSA Team Championship Results
Team Championships
Potter Cup (Men – teams ranked 1-12)
R16: Virginia def. Tufts, 9-0
R16: Drexel def. Williams, 8-1
QF: Trinity def. Virginia, 7-2
SF: Penn def. Trinity, 9-0
 
Howe Cup (Women - teams ranked 1-12)
R16: Virginia def. Tufts, 8-1
QF: Trinity def. Cornell, 8-1
SF: Trinity def. Penn, 9-0
F: Trinity def. Harvard, 5-4
 
Divisional Championships
Hoehn Cup (Men – teams ranked 13-20)
QF: Colby def. MIT, 5-4
QF: Franklin & Marshall def. Amherst, 7-2
QF: Middlebury def. Rochester, 5-4
SF: Western Ontario def. Colby, 7-2
SF: Franklin & Marshall def. Middlebury, 6-3
Conso Final: Colby def. Middlebury, 5-4
 
Summers Cup (Men – teams ranked 21-28)
QF: Bowdoin def. Conn. College, 6-3
QF: Chatham def. Hamilton, 8-1
QF: Bates def. Wesleyan, 8-1
SF: Chatham def. Bowdoin, 5-4
SF: Bates def. St. Lawrence, 5-4
F: Chatham def. Bates, 5-4
Conso Final: Bowdoin def. St. Lawrence, 6-3

Kurtz Cup (Women – teams ranked 13-20)
QF: Amherst def. Bates, 9-0
QF: Middlebury def. Bowdoin, 8-1
QF: Williams def. Colby, 6-3
SF: Amherst def. Middlebury, 8-1
SF: Georgetown def. Williams, 5-4
F: Georgetown def. Amherst, 7-2
Conso Final: Williams def. Middlebury, 6-3

Walker Cup (Women – teams ranked 21-31)
QF: Wesleyan def. Conn. College, 9-0
QF: Chatham def. Hamilton, 5-3
SF: Wesleyan def. Denison, 8-1
F: Wesleyan def. Franklin & Marshall, 8-1