CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Caltech men's tennis team smashed numerous program records en route to the 2023 SCIAC Championship, and their in-conference campaign came to an end Saturday evening as Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges claimed its 16th consecutive SCIAC title.

An enduring powerhouse in NCAA Division III, CMS went undefeated against in-conference rivals this season, but Caltech put up a respectable fight as they did when the Beavers hosted the Stags in the regular season.

Facing the 8th-ranked doubles partnership in the current NCAA divisional rankings, Andrew Zabelo and Ishaan Kannan did not go down quietly and won five games in their #1 Doubles bout. Kyle McCandless and Daniel Wen combined for four on Court 2, and seniors Rishi Gundakaram and Nathan Zou kept the heat on the Stags, falling just short by an 8-6 margin.

Undeterred, the team huddled up during intermission and encouraged one another into the singles session, where Caltech again played valiantly to the finish. Wen ended up in a tiebreak, mere points away from denying the Stags a shutout before the championship was decided. He won his first #4 Singles set by a 6-3 score, and his second set was knotted at 6-6 at the moment CMS clinched its fifth match point, rendering his match officially unfinished.

Zabelo rebounded from a 6-1 opening set loss in #3 singles with a flawless 6-0 mark in the second. He had racked up a 4-1 lead in the final set before his match was cut short.

Victor Li dueled on Court 5, picking up four games in his first set and four more in his incomplete third set. And Gundakaram caught fire after a close 7-5 first set loss to win 11 games in a row, earning a 6-0 second set win and ending with a 5-0 lead in the third.

Despite the day's outcome, Caltech's presence reflected its most successful season in program history, following a second-place finish in the SCIAC standings from a 5-2 conference regular season record and a legendary 5-4 semifinal victory at home under the lights. Head Coach Matt Brisotti and the Beavers look to return next season with a vengeance and a commanding roster.

Follow the team during the off-season at https://gocaltech.com/mten