PASADENA (Feb. 16, 2020) – Juniors Varun Shanker (Midland, Mich. / Midland Dow) and James Wei (Chappaqua, N.Y. / Horace Greeley) picked up a pair of key individual victories in leading No. 24 Caltech men's tennis to a well-earned 5-4 win over No. 30 Southwestern (Texas) University on Sunday morning.

"This is a big early-season win for us," Head Coach Jason Cohen said.  "Southwestern came in with a lot of confidence after a good win yesterday at Redlands, but we played great doubles and despite a tough loss at three after an impressive comeback from them, we felt really good about still being up 2-1. We played some solid singles and were able to pick up the three wins we needed, and in straight sets, to clinch the match."

Shanker and Wei, the West region's second-ranked doubles tandem after finishing runners-up in the Fall ITA Tournament, posted a statement win for the second consecutive day to earn one of two doubles points for the Beavers, claiming an 8-5 line over the region's seventh-ranked duo. Sophomore Patryk Kozlowski (Irvine, Calif. / University High) and rookie John Kim (Cupertino, Calif. / Menlo School) posted the largest victory margin of doubles action at court two, 8-4, to stake the Beavers to the 2-1 lead as third doubles was unable to weather the late rally and fell in a tiebreaker.

Shanker and Wei then locked down close but decisive wins at the top two singles spots, with Shanker's coming against national No. 24 Alexis Dimanche, and sophomore Matthew Gonzalgo (Plantation, Fla. / St. Thomas Aquinas) dispatched his foe in another tight battle at fourth singles, 6-4, 6-3.

Head Coach Jason Cohen and the Beavers will take a two-week hiatus from competition until hosting Clark University on Tuesday, Mar. 3 at 3 p.m.

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