CANTON, N.Y. (Feb. 9) — The Denison University men's squash team wrapped up the Liberty League Championship with a hard-fought 5-4 loss to Haverford College in the third-place match on Sunday, securing a fourth-place overall finish. After splitting matches on the first day with a win over Hobart College and a loss to the University of Rochester, the Big Red battled until the end but narrowly missed out on a podium finish.

Denison was fueled by key victories from Juan Felipe Hernandez, Tarun Mammen, Alex DeLuca, and Jackson Bragman, whose standout performances played a pivotal role in keeping the Big Red competitive throughout the match.

At the top of the ladder, Hernandez continued his dominant run, securing a commanding 3-0 win over Noah Tunis (11-5, 11-8, 11-5). Mammen followed with a resilient performance at No. 2, bouncing back after dropping the second game to defeat Aaryaman Jaising 3-1 (11-8, 10-12, 11-6, 11-6). In the No. 6 spot, DeLuca showcased exceptional grit in a marathon five-game match, outlasting Qianzhi Zhao 3-2 (11-8, 5-11, 16-18, 11-9, 11-3) in an intense match that stretched over an hour. Bragman added another strong performance at No. 8, cruising to a 3-0 victory against Garret Fantini (11-4, 11-5, 11-9).

Despite these strong individual efforts, Denison faced tough competition in other matches, with several tightly contested five-game battles that could have swung either way. Lucas Piller and Wylly Molten both pushed their matches to five games but ultimately came up short.

Reflecting on the team's performance, head coach Mike MacDonald said, "The men played hard and fought to the end. We knew it would be close from the beginning, having had a close result a few weeks ago."

The Big Red will now shift their focus to the National Divisional Championships in Philadelphia, scheduled for February 28.

Denison 4, Haverford 5
1 – Juan Felipe Hernandez def. Noah Tunis 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-5) 
2 – Tarun Mammen def. Aaryaman Jaising 3-1 (11-8, 10-12, 11-6, 11-6) 
3 – Kai Thomas Schinaman def. Lucas Piller 3-2 (10-12, 11-7, 11-8, 11-13, 11-6) 
4 – Henry Jiang def. Charlie Fenwick IV 3-1 (4-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-8) 
5 – Tarun Sargunar def. Ross Falcon 3-0 (11-3, 14-12, 11-1) 
6 – Alex DeLuca def. Qianzhi Zhao 3-2 (11-8, 5-11, 16-18, 11-9, 11-3) 
7 – Francis Betkowski def. Gus Nelson 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 12-10) 
8 – Jackson Bragman def. Garret Fantini 3-0 (11-4, 11-5, 11-9) 
9 – Arvin Krishnan def. Wylly Molten 3-2 (11-4, 6-11, 13-11, 9-11, 11-8)