CLAREMONT, Calif. (May 6, 2022) – After the winningest regular season in program history and earning their highest-ever national ranking, the No. 15 Caltech Men's Tennis faced the national No. 11 Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens in the semifinal round of the SCIAC Postseason Tournament.

While both teams tallied 14 wins in the regular season, Pomona-Pitzer's record in conference play earned them hosting rights as the number two seed against the third-seeded Beavers. In ITA West Region rankings, the Sagehens ranked third and Caltech fourth, highlighting the competitiveness and high level of talent atop the SCIAC standings.

Caltech battled through the doubles session with each partnership winning two games against the hosts. Doubles 3 juniors Rishi Gundakaram (Wyoming, Del. / Caesar Rodney) and John Kim (Cupertino, Calif. / Menlo School) finished first, their counterparts exacting revenge for the Caltech pair's 8-7 win in the same matchup in the regular season.

Next to finish was the top billing of regional No. 10 sophomores Kyle McCandless (Lexington, Mass. / Lexington) and Daniel Wen (McLean, Va. / Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology), who faced the West's second-ranked pair of Jansen Comadena and Owen Kelley. Finally, sophomore Ishaan Kannan (Scarsdale, N.Y. / Horace Mann) and senior Jake Will (Honolulu, Hawaii / Punahou School) wrapped up the doubles session on court two.

Singles play commenced after a short break and the Beavers did not go down quietly. Pomona-Pitzer secured their fourth point in second singles as No. 18 McCandless faced No. 19 Charlie Stark, and by rule, the match ended after the Sagehens secured their match-clinching fifth point on court three. There was some tension building on the other courts, though, as regional No. 10 Kannan had rebounded to a 4-3 lead in his second set against No. 4 Hayden Snyder on court one. Senior Matthew Gonzalgo (Plantation, Fla. / St. Thomas Aquinas) was holding pace in fifth singles, down just 4-3 in his second set, and Gundakaram on court six held close with just a 5-4 deficit at the moment the match ended, leaving the remaining matchups unfinished.

"It's been a great year overall," said Head Coach Jason Cohen. "Pomona played really well today, but we competed really well all year and that also stayed true today as a lot of singles matches were pretty competitive. I was happy with how we all competed today, because that's about all you can control."

Caltech wrapped up their 2021-22 campaign with four of their 14 wins coming in conference play, earning them a third place finish in the SCIAC standings.