Previewing Penn men's squash at this weekend's Potter Cup

This weekend, Penn men's squash will have the chance to win the first College Squash Association (CSA) Championship in program history at the Potter Cup in Middletown and Hartford, Conn. 

The Potter Cup is an annual tournament where the top men's teams in collegiate squash compete against each other — with a national title on the line. The top eight teams compete in the 'A' division of the tournament. 2023 marks Penn's ninth consecutive entry in the tournament. 

Coming into the the tournament, the Quakers are currently ranked No. 2 nationally, behind only top-seeded Harvard. This has eerie parallels to last year's Potter Cup — where the Quakers entered the tournament as the top seed, only to lose to Harvard in the final match. 

In this year's campaign, the Quakers have a 15-1 record in the regular season, and have only lost matches through their first 11 games before narrowly losing to Harvard in Cambridge, Mass. on Jan. 22. However, Penn rebounded in fine form, winning each of its final four matches — all against top-six teams. 

Several Quakers will be in the spotlight this weekend, with freshman Omar Hafez being named Ivy League Rookie of the Year, and sophomore Nathan Kueh, junior Nick Spizzirri, and sophomore Roger Baddour all receiving first-team All-Ivy recognition. 

Given current rankings, Penn is likely to play Philadelphia rival Drexel in the quarterfinals on Friday. But Penn's toughest challenge should be Harvard — with that matchup likely coming in the final. All time, Penn is 11-1 against Drexel, and the Quakers defeated the Dragons 9-0 in the quarterfinals of last year's Potter Cup. With an all-time record of 4-80 against the Crimson and following the loss in the regular season earlier this year, that match promises to be an uphill battle. But it also provides a chance for Penn to avenge the only blemish on what has been a stellar 2022-23 season.