PASADENA, Calif. (Jan. 14, 2023) – Caltech Swim & Dive hosted the Whittier College on Saturday morning as the kickoff of the day-long Orange Out event. Undeterred by cold temperatures and steady rain, the Beavers heated up the atmosphere around Braun Pool and left with a near-flawless pair of victories over the Poets.

The meet began on the 1-meter springboard as four Beavers dove uncontested by the visitors. Brayden Noh posted a 100.65 score and picked up nine points for the men's team, while first-year Jana Woo led the women with a 243.95 score. Katy Chu blew away her seed score by nearly 50 points, earning a 220.65 mark, and Katherine Pan also bested her seed score with a 170.95 score. Together, the three of them gave the women's team a 16-0 lead heading into the first swimming session. 

For the rest of the day, it was all Caltech as the men claimed first place in all but one event, and the women finished first outright in all but one race, which was a tie for first in the 100 Breaststroke.

Right away, Caltech set the tone with a win in the women's 200-yard medley relay, as Natalie Lee, Charlotte Zhang, Mila Hong and Tara Leininger won in 1:57.45, nearly a five-second lead in front of the Poets. The men's 200-yard medley relay team of Naci Keskin, Jason Lin, Leo Yang and Evan Zhang finished nearly seven seconds ahead of the top Whittier team, clocking in at 1:35.50, the 10th-fastest time in program history. 

Up next was the grueling 1000-yard freestyle event, where Elizabeth Won and Chris Pukszta each took first place for Caltech, and Simon Hu took second in the men's race about 14 seconds ahead of the fastest Whittier swimmer.

Following plenty of training and rest since their previous meet back in November 2022, the Beavers brightened up the gray day with four more Caltech top-ten finishes. Yang claimed the program's ninth-best time in the men's 200-yard butterfly at 1:57.68, Hu posted a 10th-best 100-yard breaststroke time of 1:01.40, and Evan Zhang dashed to the fourth spot in the men's 50-yard freestyle, winning his heat in 21.01 seconds.

Leininger claimed the number 5 spot in Caltech's 100-yard breaststroke records, tying for first place in the heat with a 1:12.60 time. She later won the women's 100-yard freestyle and finally the women's 200-yard freestyle relay with teammates Brea Swartwood, Maddie Swint and Mila Hong. This gave Leininger at least a share of first place in four separate events.

Head Coach Andy Brabson and the Beavers will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens.