The 17th-ranked Middlebury men's squash team has secured the sixth seed for the upcoming NESCAC Tournament. The Panthers begin their journey for their first conference title when they meet #13/third-seeded Williams on Saturday, February 14 at 12:00 p.m. in the quarterfinals. The 22nd-ranked/eighth-seeded Hamilton Continentals are serving as the host for all rounds of the tournament.

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury concluded its regular-season slate with a 9-7 mark and an impressive 6-3 tally against league foes. 
• After dropping their first two matches, the Panthers won seven of the next eight. The lone loss during that stretch came in a 5-4 decision to then-#15 Navy.
• The program has made every NESCAC Tournament since its inception in 2007.
• Middlebury has advanced to the semifinal round 11 times, with its last coming in 2022.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Gabe Feinstein has played at #1 for a majority of the season, tallying three triumphs.
• Caleb Boateng and Nico Brown are tied for the team lead with 12 wins apiece. Boateng has earned seven at #5, while Brown has posted six in the seventh slot. 
• Accumulating double-figure win totals this winter have been Aditya Kothari (10-6) and Theo Kogan (10-5). Kothari is on the cusp of securing his 25th career win and played in the second through sixth spots this season. Kogan has solidified the middle of the ladder with nine triumphs in the fifth and sixth slots.
• Kian Kardestuncer owns a 9-7 combined mark playing multiple positions. He paces the squad with 40 career victories.
• In his third season, David Zhao has five wins in the top-two slots of the ladder.

ABOUT WILLIAMS

• The Ephs are 8-5 with four regular-season matches remaining. 
• Williams sports a 4-3 mark in conference play.
• The program makes its 18th appearance in the NESCAC Tournament.
• The Ephs made the semifinals in the 2025 edition before falling 5-4 to runner-up Tufts.

EPHS TO WATCH

• The tandem of Nick Agger and Himanshu Pannu has been near the top of the ladder this winter. The duo has a combined 15-13 record with Pannu tallying a win in seven of the last nine matches at #2.
• In the third through fifth slots, Asher Leavy, Alex Akbari and Will Newton sport identical 8-5 marks.
• Dylan Scott has a team-best 11 victories (11-2) in the seventh through ninth spots. His only losses came against #7 Princeton and #11 Tufts.

SERIES HISTORY

• Middlebury and Williams have dueled 28 times, with the Ephs holding a 21-7 advantage.
• The programs met in Vermont on January 24, with the purple and yellow posting an 8-1 victory.
• The sides have squared off six times in the NESCAC Tournament. Each has won three matches, with the last favoring the Ephs by a 5-4 margin.
• The sides have never met in the quarterfinals.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS

• Trinity serves as the #1 seed for this season's championship. The Bantams have won all 18 NESCAC titles.
• Tufts earned the second seed for the second time in the last three seasons and searched for its third consecutive championship match appearance.
• Amherst is the fourth seed for the first time since 2022 as it competes for its initial NESCAC crown.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• 2026 NESCAC MEN'S SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIP
  • Saturday, February 14 at Hamilton (5-court system)
  • Quarterfinal Matches
    • No. 5 Colby vs. No. 4 Amherst – 10:00 a.m.
    • No. 6 Middlebury vs. No. 3 Williams – not before 12:00 p.m.
    • No. 7 Bowdoin vs. No. 2 Tufts – not before 2:00 p.m.
    • No. 8 Hamilton vs. No. 1 Trinity – not before 4:00 p.m.
  • Sunday, February 15 at Hamilton (3-court system)
  • Semifinal Matches
    • Winner of No. 3/No. 6 match vs. Winner of No. 2/No. 7 match – 9:00 a.m.
    • Winner of No. 4/No. 5 match vs. Winner of No. 1/No. 8 match – not before 12:00 p.m. 
  • Final
    • Semifinal Winners – 4:00 p.m.
• CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL