Sophomore Salman Khalil celebrates during the CSA National Team Championships on March 9.
Credit: Sean McKeownThe 1972 Miami Dolphins, the 2004 “Invincibles” Arsenal Football Club, and now Penn men’s squash have all achieved undefeated seasons.
Marked in immortality, Penn men’s squash followed up its first national title win last year with a second-straight College Squash Association National Team Championship win — completing an illustrious 20-0 season that was also marked by an individual national title from sophomore Salman Khalil. The program joins a pantheon of great teams by completing a perfect campaign.
Competing in the Arlen Specter U.S. Squash Center just across the way from Penn on Drexel’s campus, the Red and Blue were seeded first in the Potter Cup tournament — the collegiate men’s squash’s national team championship. Battling through the quarterfinals and semifinals — defeating No. 8 Columbia and No. 4 Trinity, respectively — the Quakers found themselves one step away from ultimate victory. With only Ivy rival Yale standing in its way, the team completed a 5-2 victory over the Bulldogs, good for the program’s second-straight championship.
“As a coach, you want it so badly for them,” coach and 2007 College graduate Gilly Lane said. “They worked hard. They sacrificed. It’s just a special group.”
CSA’s individual champion Khalil played the winning match — defeating his opponent, Yale’s Tad Carney, in four sets while actively fasting for Ramadan. Despite being minutes removed from sealing a back-to-back team championship, Khalil had his eyes set on the future.
“First of all, I am so thirsty,” Khalil said after his championship-winning match. “I am proud of myself. I am proud of my team, and hopefully it is not the last time, [as we will] come again next year.”
The championship was the highest note the Red and Blue could send their seven seniors off on.
“The seniors we have on this team — the year they got here, the team wasn’t where it is now,” Khalil added. “It was the only right way to send them off by winning a national championship.”
Similarly to last year, Penn faced off against Columbia in the first round. The heavy favorites faced little resistance, going 7-2. In the semifinal, Trinity was dispatched with less effort, as a clean sweep sent Penn to the final.
En route to last year’s championship, the Quakers were more evenly matched. Facing Princeton and Trinity in the tournament — the two teams they lost to in the regular season — Penn was the underdog with a chip on its shoulder. This year, the Red and Blue competed with a target on their back.
“It says 20 and zero, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t struggle during the year,” Lane said. “That’s what I am proud of, the resilience of these boys to just fight through everything.”
The win meant a lot to the Philadelphia native coach and decorated Penn men’s squash alumnus.
“I am so honored to be the coach of this team, for this program,” Lane said. “Penn is where my heart is.”
With nine competitors for each squad, it was announced that the first team to five individual victories would go home with the lauded Potter Cup. With competition playing three bouts simultaneously, there would be three waves to determine a champion. Penn sent junior Omar Hafez, senior captain Abdelrahman Dweek, and freshman Marwan Abdelsalam out first.
Freshman Marwan Abdelsalam celebrates after victory at squash championships on Mar. 9.
Hafez, the former Ivy League Rookie of the Year playing out of the third position for the Quakers, found himself in a switched position from last year.
The man who clinched last year’s title now found himself as the tone-setter — competing first against Yale’s Lachlan Sutton. Hafez dominated with finesse and seemingly limitless energy, going on to sweep Sutton before roaring to the crowd.
“This year, when I saw that I’m the first shift in the final ... I wanted to give the first push for this team,” Hafez said. “Because once you set the tone for the first shift and you win, three love, you give the team such a passion and motivation.”
Just to the side, Dweek — another crucial part of last year’s success — swept his opponent as well, never letting his opponent score more than six points in a single round. With no celebration, Dweek immediately took a towel and walked over to cheer for his next teammate.
Finally, Abdelsalam, after losing a contested 14-12 opening round, went on to win the next three rounds in a devastatingly physical fashion to secure the match. Letting out a scream of celebration towards his teammates, the freshman had done his part in securing a 3-0 Penn lead.
With the best start possible, the next wave entered their cages — including senior Nick Spizzirri, senior Dana Santry, and sophomore Varun Chitturi.
Playing out of the second position, Spizzirri made quick work of his opponent — dominating with his fast feet and large frame to complete Penn’s third sweep in four matches. With the championship only a match away, it was now a race to see which Quaker could secure the winning point.
Santry, in sixth position, and Chitturi, in ninth position, battled through their respective matches, but each fell to give Yale a glimmer of hope with a 4-2 score. With two losses in a row and a need to stop the bleeding, who better to turn to than Penn’s best in Khalil?
Playing out of a well-deserved first position, the entire crowd would turn to face the middle of the arena. Khalil faced Carney in a rematch of the semifinals of the CSA Individual Championships as the fated pairing traded the first two rounds.
As the third and fourth rounds continued, Khalil’s teammates surrounded the glass as he labored through point after point. Exhausted but determined, Khalil finished the match 3-1, falling to his knees as the Quakers’ faithful stormed the court.
“It all comes down to what [Lane] has done, the way he put this team together,” Khalil said. “We were talking about it last night. It’s not [about] recruiting the best players, but the right players. He managed to always get the players who would fit in the team, within the team culture, and match the discipline and drive we have.”
This year’s championship marks the start of a supposed dynasty. With the team’s young star talent returning in the upcoming season — Penn men’s squash looks set to dominate for seasons to come.
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