PRINCETON, N.J. – The men's squash team notched an historic victory on Friday at the College Squash Association's National Championships, upsetting third-ranked Yale, 8-1, in the Big Red's first-ever quarterfinal victory at the event.
 
The sixth-ranked Big Red (13-5) advances to a semifinal at 11:30 a.m. Saturday against second-ranked Princeton, which secured an 8-1 victory over seventh-ranked Dartmouth in their first-round match Friday.
 
Cornell's victory was just its third in 53 all-time meetings with Yale, avenging a 5-4 loss to the Bulldogs on Jan. 14. The victory also assures the Big Red of a top-four finish at the Potter Cup, which will be its best in program history.
 
The Big Red swept the first wave after wins from Rishi Jalan (No. 9) and Arjun Gupta (No. 6), followed by a dramatic victory from Thomas Spettigue (No. 3) – a match in which Spettigue rallied from two games down against the Bulldogs' Richard Dodd. Jalan is now 12-0 on the season.
 
Freshman Ryan Todd gave the Big Red a 4-0 lead with a five-game victory at No. 8, then Alex Domenick clinched the victory with a three-game sweep at No. 2. The Big Red dropped a 6-3 decision to Ivy League champion Princeton on Friday, Feb. 10. Cornell's points came from Spettigue at No. 4, Owen Butler at No. 7 and Jalan at No. 9.
 
Saturday's other semifinal will feature 13-time defending champion and top seed Trinity against fourth-seeded Harvard.
 
#6 CORNELL 8, #3 YALE 1
Potter Cup; first round
Friday, Feb. 17
At Jadwin Squash Courts; Princeton, N.J.
1. Nick Sachvie (C) def. Kenneth Chan, 12-10, 11-9, 16-14.
2. Alex Domenick (C) def. Hywel Robinson, 11-8, 11-7, 11-7.
3. Thomas Spettigue (C) def. Richard Dodd, 9-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-4.
4. Aditya Jagtap (C) def. John Roberts, 8-11, 12-10, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9.
5. Will Hartigan (C) def. Ryan Dowd, 11-6, 11-8, 6-11, 13-11.
6. Arjun Gupta (C) def. Neil Martin, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7.
7. Robert Berner (Y) def. Owen Butler, 11-8, 11-9, 1-11, 11-8.
8. Ryan Todd (C) def. Samuel Clayman, 12-10, 10-12, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7.
9. Rishi Jalan (C) def. Joseph Roberts, 11-8, 11-2, 1-11, 11-8.
Ex. Eric Caine (Y) def. Bryan Keating, 11-0, 11-0, 0-11, 0-11, 11-0.