HARTFORD, Conn. - The Raptors traveled to Connecticut this weekend to participate in the College Squash Association Men's Collegiate Men's Team Championships.
 
The team first met Denison on Friday before facing Connecticut College and Vassar on Saturday, and while Bard came away with three match losses, there were a number of individual highlights and strong performances.
 
"I'm extremely pleased with the way our team improved over the weekend," said Bard coach Craig Thorpe-Clark. "It was the first team championships for many of our players and they all elevated their performances. The players have worked hard for themselves and each other, on and off the court."
 
First-year Artemy Mukhin continued his stellar play at the #1 position. After two extremely competitive and compelling 3-2 losses in his opening two matches, Mukhin made quick work of his opponent from Vassar, winning 3-0 in 25 minutes.
 
The Raptors team battled in all their matches, and senior Marty Graham came especially close to a result against Vassar, losing 12-10 in two of the three games. The captain also played well in both his earlier matches. Sophomore Ali Mounim Rajabi also played well against more experienced competition.
 
The competition was Bard's return to the CSA national championships for the first time since 2020, immediately before the pandemic, and with a growing team and optimism for the seasons ahead, despite losing seniors Graham and Asa Kaplan.
 
Denison 8, Bard 0
1. Juan Felipe Hernandez (D) def. Artemy Mukhin (B) 3-2 (8-11, 11-4, 7-11, 11-5, 11-2)
2. Tarun Mammen (D) def. Marty Graham (B) 3-0 (11-8, 11-3, 11-4)
3. Ibrahim Bekhiet (D) def. Asa Kaplan (B) 3-0 (11-1, 11-0, 11-4)
4. Lucas Piller (D) def. Luca Heidelberg (B) 3-0 (11-1, 11-2, 11-3)
5. Rayan Dar (D) def. Mujtaba Naqib (B) 3-0 (11-2, 11-2, 11-3)
6. Joao Victor Barbosa Gomez (D) def. Ali Mounim Rajabi (B) 3-0 (11-4, 11-2, 11-5)
7. Suryansh Agrawal (D) def. Jacob Nathan (B) 3-0 (11-8, 11-3, 11-5)
8. Denison by default

Conn. College 8, Bard 0
1. Tyler Maguire (C) def. Mukhin (B) 3-2 (4-11, 17-15, 11-9, 9-11, 12-10)
2. Henry Pelletier (C) def. Graham (B) 3-0 (11-5, 11-6, 11-4)
3. Alexander Lorenzo-Cruz (C) def. Asa Kaplan (B) 3-0 (11-1, 11-1, 11-4)
4. Peter Russell (C) def. Heidelberg (B) 3-0 (11-0, 11-1, 11-1)
5. Juan Hurtado (C) def. Naqib (B) 3-0 (11-6, 11-1, 11-3)
6. Chris Meza (C) def. Mounim Rajabi (B) 3-0 (11-6, 11-3, 11-1)
7. Timothy First (C) def. Jacob Nathan (B) 3-0 (11-1, 11-1, 11-2)
8. Conn. College by default
 
Vassar 7, Bard 1
1. Mukhin (B) def. Sameer Mustafa (V) 3-0 (11-1, 11-9, 11-4)
2. Razaan Lalji (V) def. Graham 3-0 (12-10, 11-5, 12-10)
3. Jarid Haslinger (V) def. Asa Kaplan 3-0 (11-3, 11-2, 11-2)
4. Kyle Benson (V) def. Heidelberg 3-0 (11-5, 11-3, 11-2)
5. Josh Finkelstein (V) def. Naqib 3-0 (11-2, 11-5, 11-5)
6. Will Knauss (V) def. Mounim Rajabi 3-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-5)
7. Matthew O'Leary (V) def. Jacob Nathan 3-0 (11-1, 11-6, 11-2)
8. Vassar by default