Virginia Wins Mid-Atlantic Squash Championship Holley CupVirginia Wins Mid-Atlantic Squash Championship Holley Cup

Virginia Wins Mid-Atlantic Squash Championship Holley Cup

The Cavaliers defeated No. 6 Drexel 8-1 to claim their fifth Mid-Atlantic Squash Conference title in the last seven years.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –  The No. 5 Virginia men's squash team (13-3) won the Mid-Atlantic Squash Conference Championship for the fifth time in the last seven years on Sunday (Feb. 15) at the McArthur Squash Center.

The Cavaliers (13-3) advanced out of Pool B after sweeping both Dickinson and Franklin & Marshall, then claimed the Holley Cup with their 8-1 victory over No. 6 Drexel.

Virginia got on the board first with a 3-0 victory from freshman Juan Irisarri at the top of the ladder before junior Krishna Mishra grew the lead to 2-0 with his 3-0 win at position four. Sophomore Ewan Harris notched the third point with a 3-0 victory at seven, then freshman Oscar Okonkwo battled to a 3-2 win at position six to bring Virginia within a point of the match clinch.

Juan Jose Torres Lara clinched the match with his 11-6, 11-3, 11-9 win at position two. Torres Lara, a sophomore from Bogota, Colombia, has been the Cavaliers’ most consistent contributor this season, with a 12-0 record. 

After dropping his first game at position eight 11-1, graduate student Maxwell Velazquez flipped a switch and took the next three 12-10, 11-0 and 11-2, putting Virginia up 6-0 over the Dragons. Senior JP Tew tacked on a 3-0 victory at three and junior Dylan Moran won 3-1 at five before Drexel notched its only win of the afternoon in a gritty 3-2 battle at position nine.

FROM HEAD COACH MARK ALLEN

"This was the seventh time the MASC Conference Championships have been held, and today’s win marks the fifth time we’ve lifted the trophy, having been losing finalists the other two times. Every one of those finals has been close and hard fought, and today was no different—despite the final 8–1 scoreline.

"The men were superb today, rising to the occasion and feeding off a packed home crowd. Drexel got the better of us on their courts just three weeks ago, so to turn that result around, and in such emphatic style, was hugely impressive.

"Getting a few quick 3–0 wins on the board makes an enormous difference, putting immediate pressure on the opposition, and Juan Irisarri, Krishna Mishra, and Ewan Harris did exactly that—playing with authority and delivering dominant performances.

"Once Oscar battled through a very gritty five-game win—showing outstanding mental resilience and emotional maturity to bounce back after dropping a quick fourth game—the championship felt within our grasp. From there, it was only fitting that undefeated second-year Juan Torres sealed the victory. As Juan moves toward the end of his sophomore season, he boasts a phenomenal 89% win rate, a statistic that speaks volumes about just how valuable he has been to this team.

"The icing on the cake came courtesy of third year Dylan Moran, as well as JP Tew and Max Velazquez, who both closed out their final-ever matches at McArthur Squash Center with well-earned and well-deserved wins. It was a poignant moment, with seniors JP Tew and Patrick Keller—both competing in the lineup today—having bookended their UVA careers with two conference championship titles.

"Next week, our final match of the regular season, will see us play the #1 ranked team in the country, the Trinity Bantams. I'm excited to see the guys take them on and make the most of the opportunity."

CAVALIER NOTES

  • Virginia has won five of the last seven MASC Championships, claiming the title in four consecutive years from 2019-2023 and now in 2026.
  • Since UVA added squash as a varsity sport prior to the 2017-18 season, the Cavaliers have competed in eight full seasons of competition, winning the conference title in five of those seasons.
  • Virginia has faced Drexel in each of the past five finals.
  • This is the second time the Cavaliers have played the Dragons this season. In their first meeting, Drexel won 6-3 on Jan. 18 in Philadelphia.
  • Dylan Moran leads the team in wins with thirteen. 
  • Juan Jose Torres Lara remains undefeated with a 12-0 record on the season.

 

UP NEXT

  • The Cavaliers conclude their regular season with a matchup against Trinity on Saturday (Feb. 21) at 1 p.m. at SquashSmarts in Philadelphia.

#5 Virginia 8, #6 Drexel 1

1 | Juan Irisarri (VA) def. Nicolas Serna (DU) 11-9, 11-4, 11-9
2 | Juan Jose Torres Lara (VA) def. Guido Lindner (DU) 11-6, 11-3, 11-9
3 | JP Tew (VA) def. Luhann Groenewald (DU) 16-14, 11-3, 11-5
4 | Krishna Mishra (VA) def. Youssef Bastawy (DU) 11-9, 11-4, 11-7
5 | Dylan Moran (VA) def. Yuri Pollak Pelbart (DU) 11-4, 8-11, 11-7, 11-3
6 | Oscar Okonkwo (VA) def. Charlie Taylor (DU) 11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 2-11, 11-8
7 | Ewan Harris (VA) def. Thiago Cabrejos (DU) 11-5, 11-6, 11-8
8 | Maxwell Velazquez (VA) def. Sean Murphy (DU) 1-11, 12-10, 11-0, 11-2
9 | Tavneet Singh Mundra (DU) def. Nathan Rosenzweig (VA) 7-11, 13-15, 11-3, 11-4, 11-6
Exh. | Darien Benn (DU) def. Patrick Keller (VA) 11-8, 11-9, 11-9