Courtsey of Brian Beard

Last week, the men’s squash team (8–5; 4–4 NESCAC) posted a 9–0 shutout victory against Bates College (4–8; 3–6 NESCAC). After the win, the Polar Bears remain ranked 22nd in the nation.

Head Coach Brendan McClintick highlighted the high level of play and enthusiasm toward the win.

“Bates across the board was a really tough performance, but the guys really stepped up and made every point hard for Bates. We were fit, we were sharp and we made it clear to them that they were going to have to fight for every single inch on that court and that came through,” McClintick said.

Bowdoin has beaten Bates two years in a row for the first time in more than two decades. Captain Nick Wilkinson ’25 emphasized the rivalry towards Bates.

“Bates is a team that has been really close to our level. Coming out with a 9–0 win over them was huge for us and gave us a lot of confidence too,” Wilkinson said.

The day’s closest match was a neck-and-neck, five-game battle from Fotis Zafiriou ’27.

“Ultimately, it came down to the fifth game, where I just went back to basic squash. Hitting the ball as tight as I can to the wall, not letting him have any attacking opportunities, and letting him make the mistakes was the key,” Zafiriou said. “I tried to grind him out but it was an hour long match, and it was very mentally draining, so coming out with a win against a very good player was huge.”

Zafiriou’s win on top of shutout victories from captain Jack Winston ’25, Will Maschler ’28 and Luc Agudelo ’26, as well as wins from Wilkinson, Abhi Nagireddygari ’25, Ronak Nagar ’28, Aryan Singh ’26 and Ben Cossrow ’27 sent the Polar Bears to a decisive overall victory.

The season hasn’t always been easy for the men’s team. Wilkinson noted how close losses early in the season motivated the team to push harder in their play.

“We had a few really close losses to higher-ranked teams like [the United States Naval Academy (15–7)] and Amherst [(9–7; 5–4 NESCAC)] that gave us a bit of a chip on our shoulder. At the beginning of the season, it’s a lot of nerves, but as the season goes on, you get used to competing, and it becomes exciting to compete,” Wilkinson said.

Following its victory, the men’s team lost to Tufts University (9–6; 5–2 NESCAC) 1–8 last Saturday.

Winston secured the team’s only victory of the match. Winston is 8–0 against NESCAC opponents and 12–1 overall.

Although the squad lost to Tufts, Wilkinson expressed key takeaways from the match.

“This loss shows us that winning those big points and performing well in high pressure situations is something that we need to work on more this season, but all we can do now is learn from that and take away both the positives and the negatives and implement those into our practices,” Wilkinson said.

After the long week, McClintick highlighted how instrumental and incredible his coaching staff is, pushing him and the players to be at their best.

“For one, [Assistant Coach] Sarah [Lopez] is incredible and has been an amazing addition. She’s an incredible squash player and a really positive person, and having somebody I can throw on the court and push the team is very helpful. [Volunteer Assistant Coach] Rhonda [Lake] too. She’s incredible and again brings that positive energy, that warmth, and it’s that sort of kindness and care that she brings every day,” McClintick said. “We’re very lucky to have the coaching staff we have.”

Now, the Polar Bears face a bigger challenge: the NESCAC tournament.

The men’s squash team will compete for the NESCAC title at host Trinity College this weekend, where seventh-seeded Bowdoin will face off Saturday against second-seeded Williams College (12–3; 7–0 NESCAC). This will be a rematch for the team following its regular season loss to Williams 2–7.

McClintick is looking forward to a rematch against Williams.

“Williams was really close, so we know they’re a team we can compete with. The guys are confident and know that they have the quality to go and beat a team like this. We have a great group, and when we win that first round match, we’ve got the belief, who knows what can happen,” McClintick said.

The men’s team plays on Saturday at 2 p.m., and at noon,  the sixth-seeded women’s squash team (8–4; 4–4 NESCAC) will face off against third-seeded Amherst College (12–4; 8–1 NESCAC).