Although the No. 33 Eagles will likely not be as tough a test for the Crimson as its Ivy competition, the matchup marks the Crimson’s first opportunity to showcase new talent—Harvard added six freshmen in 2012-13—and get off to a strong start after what players described as a difficult preseason.

“Our preseason revolved mostly around fitness,” Hopcroft said. “It was tough but really rewarding. We have a chance to win a national title [this year], and that isn’t something that comes around all the time. Everyone’s excited to get going and start competing.”

—Staff writer Catherine E. Coppinger can be reached at ccoppinger@college.harvard.edu.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: Dec. 4

An earlier version of this article misstated the class year of squash player Ali Farag. He is a junior.