AMHERST, MA — The #14 Amherst College men's squash team responded to Friday's setback against MIT with a gritty 5–4 win over #17 Middlebury on Sunday at Davenport Squash Courts.
Amherst took four of the top six spots and held on through several five-set battles to improve to 11–4 overall and 7–2 in NESCAC play. In the 2024-2025 season Amherst fell 2–7 to Middlebury, so the victory is an impressive turnaround for the Mammoths.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
At #1 singles, first-year
Roman Parisi pulled off a comeback win, rallying from a 0–2 deficit to defeat Gabriel Feinstein 3–2 (6–11, 5–11, 11–4, 11–8, 11–4) in 1 hour and 5 minutes. After dropping the opening games, Parisi flipped the momentum with a dominant third, then maintained his level to close out the fourth and fifth.
Sophomore
Graeme Herbert delivered another crucial five-set win at #4, overcoming a 1–2 set deficit to edge Kian Kardestuncer 3–2 (11–8, 6–11, 5–11, 11–7, 11–9) in 1 hour and 10 minutes.
At #2, first-year
Devon Osborne provided Amherst's quickest victory of the day, cruising past David Zhao 3–0 (12–10, 11–4, 11–4) in just 19 minutes.
RESULTS (5–4, W):
Roman Parisi (A) def. Gabriel Feinstein (M), 3–2 (6–11, 5–11, 11–4, 11–8, 11–4)
Devon Osborne (A) def. David Zhao (M), 3–0 (12–10, 11–4, 11–4)
Joseph Toth (A) def. Aditya Kothari (M), 3–0 (11–8, 11–6, 11–4)
Graeme Herbert (A) def. Kian Kardestuncer (M), 3–2 (11–8, 6–11, 5–11, 11–7, 11–9)
Caleb Boateng (M) def. Zi Tao Yu (A), 3–2 (11–4, 11–4, 6–11, 8–11, 11–8)
Fares Khairy (A) def. Theo Kogan (M), 3–2 (12–10, 9–11, 11–7, 9–11, 11–7)
Nicholas Brown (M) def.
Flynn Venmore (A), 3–1 (11–4, 11–13, 12–10, 13–11)
Charlie Clifford (M) def.
Grady Herbert (A), 3–1 (11–8, 8–11, 12–10, 11–7)
Naum Lekovic (M) def.
Aiden Shap (A), 3–2 (11–7, 12–10, 7–11, 8–11, 11–4)
UP NEXT:
With the bounce-back win over #17 Middlebury, Amherst stands at 11–4 overall and 7–2 in conference play. The Mammoths next travel to Philadelphia to face Drexel on Saturday, February 21 at 1:00 PM in their final regular-season match before the NESCAC tournament, and the national championships.
