Continuing our senior profile series, today we feature Gokul Srinivasaragavan from men's basketball.
A combo guard from Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon, 'Srini' entered Caltech dripping with upside after leading the Wildcats to their best record in school history and earning All-DFAL honors. Gokul's quickness and knack for getting to the rim made him dangerous enough handling the ball, but the work he put in on his shot – including staying late in the gym to shoot alone following most games – turned him into a practically unguardable force early in his career.
Gokul made an immediate impact as a rookie, coming off the bench in spurts to rank third on the team in three-point percentage (.375) while averaging 6.9 points per game. He was named SCIAC Defensive Player of the Week following the 2018 season-opening win over Oberlin College as a sophomore and remained a key contributor as an impact substitute before missing the 2019-20 season with an injury.
An AP Scholar and National Merit finalist, Gokul is an astrophysics option who has gone on to intern at JPL and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University. He has first authored a paper in the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series on Gamma-Ray Bursts, which was accepted for publication and is also part of a Stanford Blog press release: https://kipac.stanford.edu/highlights/delving-back-deeper-towards-grbs-standard-candles. In what spare time he is able to find, he also plays piano and enjoys listening to music, reading and writing stories. He plans to pursue a PhD in astrophysics upon graduation with the ultimate goal of becoming a professor.
"My favorite thing about being a Caltech scholar-athlete is being part of changing the culture of the program, helping hold the program and athletes in the program to a higher standard when it comes to commitment, work ethic, and love for the game," Srinivasaragavan said. "I really cherish the connections I made with my teammates; some of my best friends in college are on the team."
Among his favorite moments as a Beaver are:
-Assisting on Marcus Gee's record-breaking shot for single-season three-pointers in 2017-18
-Winning the team Most Improved Player award both his freshman and sophomore years
-Finding ways to contribute as a leader on the team despite suffering a season-ending injury prior to 2019-20
Follow and show support for your Caltech Beavers on Twitter (@CaltechBeavers), Facebook, YouTube and Instagram!
