ITHACA, N.Y. – Freshman Charles Culhane rallied to win a wild five-game match at No. 2 and the men's squash team stormed back to make an upset bid on Sunday, but ultimately suffered a 5-4 defeat against Princeton on Senior Day at Belkin International Squash Courts.
 
After coming up short in a marathon 18-16 first game, Culhane shook off a second-game loss to surge all the way back and salvage a point in the opening rotation for Cornell (4-11, 1-6 Ivy League) – which started the week 14th in the Dunlop College Squash Rankings.
 
After junior Jared Scherl won for a fourth time in his last five matches at No. 9, the Big Red came to the brink of an upset of eighth-ranked Princeton (7-6, 4-3) by winning the final tilts of the bottom two rotations. Both of those wins came in three games from freshmen Nicholas Göth Errningon (No. 6) and Nikhil Arjunan Iyer (No. 8). Göth Errington's victory came against an opponent that was a perfect 11-0 on the season entering the day.
 
The Tigers won a four-game affair at No. 2, and – with the score tied at 4 – all the pressure went to the match at No. 1. Princeton held on to win and preserve its berth into the Potter Cup, which is the top flight of the College Squash Association National Championships.
 
With the regular season complete, Cornell will await word on its placement in the CSA national championships. Likely ticketed for the 'B' flight Hoehn Cup, the Big Red will compete in matches Friday, Saturday and Sunday at and around Yale in New Haven, Conn.
 

PRINCETON 5, CORNELL 4

National rankings: Princeton 8, Cornell 14
At Belkin International Squash Courts; Ithaca, N.Y.
1. Adhitya Raghavan (P) def. Andy Muran, 11-8, 11-6, 11-7
2. Charles Culhane (C) def. Clark Doyle, 16-18, 8-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-6
3. Daelum Mawji (P) def. Perry Hanson, 11-4, 8-11, 13-11, 11-2
4. Alexander Engstrom (P) def. Alex Dworetzky, 11-3, 11-5, 11-7
5. Gabriel Morgan (P) def. Illia Presman, 11-3, 11-7, 11-4
6. Nicholas Göth Errington (C) def. Howe Cheng, 11-3, 11-3, 13-11
7. Henry Parkhurst (P) def. V. Luke Park II, 18-16, 11-4, retired
8. Nikhil Arjunan Iyer (C) def. Adham Elsherbiny, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7
9. Jared Scherl (C) def. Grant Ackerman, 11-5, 11-6, 11-7
Ex. James Paolella (C) def. William Oon, 11-2, 11-8, 11-4