New Haven, Conn.- Sophomore Amina Helal (Stamford, England) came back from a 1-0 deficit in a 3-1 triumph in the deciding match at the No. 1 position to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 5-4 win over the Harvard University Crimson in the finals of the Women’s Intercollegiate Squash Association (WISA) Team Championships (Howe Cup) this afternoon at Yale University.

Trinity, ranked No.1 in the nation and seeded first in the eight-team tournament field, finishes the season with a first-ever perfect record of 11-0. The Howe Cup title is also the first for the Bantam women, who defeated Cornell, 8-0, in the quarter-finals and Princeton, 7-2, in the semi-finals. Trinity had defeated Harvard, 5-4 in the teams’ regular season meeting, but Harvard downed Trinity, 6-3, in last season’s Howe Cup finals. The Crimson, ranked No. 2 in the nation, drops to 9-1.

Trinity sophomore Carolynne Minkowski (Baltimore, Md.) and freshman Lynn Leong (Kota Bharu, Malaysia) each won early 3-0 victories, at No. 9 and No. 2, respectively, to help the Bantams to a 2-2 tie after the first four matches were completed. Bantam junior Clare Austin (Banbury, England) won a pivotal match, 3-2, at No. 6 against Harvard junior Ella Witcher (Calgary, Alberta), coming back from a 2-1 deficit in dramatic fashion with a 10-9 win in the fifth game.

Austin’s win and a 3-1 triumph by freshman Bronwyn Cooper (Harare, Zimbabwe) at No. 7 left the score at 4-3 in Trinity’s favor with two matches remaining. Helal shook off a 9-3 loss in the first game, to take the final three games, 9-1, 9-1, 9-3, over Crimson sophomore No. 1 Louisa Hall (Haverford, Pa.) and clinch the victory for Trinity.

1. TC- Amina Helal d. Louisa Hall 3-1 3-9, 9-1, 9-1, 9-3

2. TC- Lynn Leong d. Margaret Elias 3-0 9-5, 9-1, 9-2

3. H- Lindsey Wilkins d. Pam Saunders 3-0 10-8, 10-8, 9-3

4. H- Carlin Wing d. Samantha Lewins 3-1 9-7, 8-10, 9-0, 9-0

5. H- Colby Hall d. Mollie Anderson 3-0 9-6, 9-4, 9-2

6. TC- Clare Austin d. Ella Witcher 3-2 9-2, 9-10, 2-9, 9-0, 10-9

7. TC- Bronwyn Cooper d. Steph Hendricks 3-0 9-0, 10-8, 4-9, 9-6

8. H- Hilary Thorndike d. Meridy Vollmer 3-0 9-1, 9-2, 9-2

9. TC- Carolynne Minkowski d. Kristin Wadhwa 3-0 9-5, 9-6, 9-7

Trinity (Conn.) 5 Harvard 4