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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Men's Squash Faces Crucial Breakthrough Weekend vs. Harvard, Dartmouth
January 08, 2015 | Men's Squash
The ninth-ranked Princeton men's squash team will open its Ivy League season this weekend in a pair of matches that have huge ramifications on the rest of their season. The Tigers can make a huge statement in league play Saturday against reigning champion Harvard, and they can make a big step towards the 'A' flight at Nationals Sunday against eighth-ranked Dartmouth.
For more on the early part of the season, as well as a look at this weekend's matches and the excitement of playing in the Jadwin Squash Courts, check out the video interview with junior three-year-starter Michael LeBlanc above.
| Date • Time • Location | Jan. 10-11 • 12 pm (both) • Jadwin Squash Courts |
| Follow Along | Live Video (Ivy Digital Net) |
| @PtonMSquash l @PUTigers l @PUTigersLive | |
| Rosters | Princeton l Harvard l Dartmouth |
| Schedules | Princeton l Harvard l Dartmouth |
| What's Up Next? | Princeton hosts Penn on Jan. 28 |
Ninth-ranked Princeton is 2-3 on the season, though two of those losses have come to teams currently ranked in the Top 4 in the nation. That stretch includes a 7-2 loss at St. Lawrence in the team's last match, which came Dec. 7 in Canton. Both All-America senior Tyler Osborne and freshman Abhimanyu Shah earned wins that day for Princeton, while sophomore Ben Leizman grabbed a win over No. 4 Rochester one day earlier.
Saturday's match with Harvard will be the first between the two schools at Jadwin since Princeton's thrilling 5-4 upset of the Crimson during the 2013 season. Both Osborne and fellow All-America classmate Samuel Kang were among the Princeton winners that day, which ended with a victory for No. 4 Dylan Ward '14 to close the win.
The Crimson is currently ranked fifth nationally, but it seems a lock to be part of the Potter Cup Championships, which crowns the CSA team national champion. Princeton won that title in 2012, but it fell out of the A draw last season and ended up as the Hoehn Cup winners. A return to the 'A' flight could come down to the winner of the Princeton-Dartmouth-Penn triangle, which will take place this month.
Eighth-ranked Dartmouth will take on 10th-ranked Penn Saturday in Philadelphia, and then will make the trip to Jadwin for a Sunday match at noon. Following the exam break, Princeton will welcome Penn to Jadwin on Jan. 28.
Princeton and Dartmouth met twice last season; the Tigers won the regular season match 7-2 in Hanover, and they claimed a tight 6-3 win in the Hoehn Cup semifinal. LeBlanc had a key 3-2 win in that match, while current senior tri-captain rallied from an 0-1 deficit to claim a 3-1 win.
Both Saturday's match with Harvard (noon) and Sunday's showdown with Dartmouth (noon) will be available on the Ivy League Digital Network (subscription required). All courts will be streamed live for both the men's and women's matches.