“A few guys didn’t really play how we anticipated they would play,” Bullock said.

“A couple of our freshmen are far better than they were able to play,” Bajwa said.

Freshman Jason De Lierre lost in straight games at No. 6, while classmate Mihir Sheth fell in four at No. 9.

Whitman, the intercollegiate No. 21, suffered a heartbreaking four-game loss to Shaun Johnstone at No. 8 in a matchup of players with similar styles.

“In my heart, I had this desire to win that’s so huge,” Whitman said. “I had so much fight left inside of me when I came off court. It’s very frustrating to me that my skill level let my heart down.”

In the end, the match may have come down to the experience of the Bantams (8-0), who won their 98th consecutive match.

“They have an ability to close the deal on the day that we haven’t figured out yet,” Whitman said.

But everyone present acknowledged the talent and quality of both squads.

“You will never see assembled two more powerful squash teams,” said Trinity coach Paul Assaiante, who was awarded the President’s Cup for “substantial contributions to the game … over the past year” by United States Squash Racquets Association President Ken Stilman before the match.

—Staff writer Alan G. Ginsberg can be reached at aginsber@fas.harvard.edu.