The 17th-ranked Middlebury men's squash team battled #14 Amherst on Sunday in the regular-season finale, dropping a narrow 5-4 back-and-forth decision.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Naum Lekovic opened the match with a five-game triumph over Aiden Shap in the #9 position, claiming 11-7 and 12-10 triumphs in the first two games before an 11-4 win in the decisive fifth. 
• The Mammoths secured the next three contests, but not without pressure from the Panthers. Gabe Feinstein and Kian Kardestuncer took Roman Parisi and Graeme Herbert the distance in the first and fourth slots before Joseph Toth earned a sweep at #3.
• Nico Brown interrupted Amherst's momentum in the seventh spot with a four-game decision against Flynn Venmore (11-4, 11-13, 12-10, 13-11) to pull the Panthers within one.
• Devon Osborne picked up a sweep in the #2 position before Fares Khairy outmaneuvered Theo Kogan in five games (12-10, 9-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7) to clinch the match for the Mammoths.
• Charlie Clifford (11-8, 8-11, 12-10, 11-7) and Caleb Boateng (11-4, 11-4, 6-11, 8-11, 11-8) prevailed in the final two tilts in the eighth and fifth spots for the final 5-4 tally. 

NOTES

• Arman Rao picked up a 3-1 win over William Okurowski in the exhibition match.
• Clifford logged his 30th career win with the navy and white.
• The programs competed for the 27th time with Middlebury holding a 22-5 advantage in the series.

The Panthers travel to New York for the NESCAC Championship on Saturday, February 14 and Sunday, February 15. Hamilton will host the event with the opponents and times to be announced on Tuesday by the league office.