PASADENA, Calif. — The No. 31 Caltech men's tennis team wrapped up its 2023-24 season on Friday with a Senior Day clash against the top-ranked Stags of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges.

The group saw excellent performances and wins from multiple Beavers, who were not dismayed by the 29-time SCIAC champions.

First-year Eric He (Martinsville, N.J. / Bridgewater Raritan) earned his 14th singles victory of the season as he took on a strong competitor on Court 5. The Beaver secured the 7-6 (7-5) first set victory before taking the match in the second after posting a dominant 6-2 set score. He finishes the year with a team-high six SCIAC wins and an overall record of 14-4 (6-1 SCIAC); he comes in tied for fourth all-time in program history for single-season singles victories.

Fellow rookie Constantin Cedillo-Vayson de Pradenne (Paris / Lycée Jean de La Fontaine) gave the squad another team point after putting up an incredible showing in the second position. The French native – who most recently ranked 11th in the region – trumped a talented CMS player who ranked 8th in the region and 41st in the nation. The Beaver dropped the first set 4-6 before storming back to a 7-5 victory in the second and earning the 1-0 (10-7) superset tiebreaker win to take the match.

With the victory, Cedillo-Vayson de Pradenne finishes the year with a team-high 15 singles wins and a team-best record of 15-3 (5-2 SCIAC). He ties the school record for single-season singles wins, with 15.

Seniors Kyle McCandless (Lexington, Mass. / Lexington) and Daniel Wen (McLean, Va. / Thomas Jefferson HS for Science & Technology) played their final doubles match together on Court 1; they finish the spring with a team-high 11 wins as part of an impressive 11-5 record. The duo ranked No. 3 in the region and No. 20 in the nation prior to their last match.

In the most recent singles rankings, McCandless ranked 9th in the region and 42nd nationally; he finishes 2024 with nine wins, all from either the first or second position. The Massachusetts native concludes his career with 27 singles wins and 31 doubles wins; the latter puts him fifth all-time in Caltech Men's Tennis history, achieved in just three seasons of play with no athletics contested in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wen, who ranks 16th in the region in singles, wraps up the year with an 11-5 singles record and on an impressive hot streak as he took 10 of his final 12 matches. The veteran finishes his career in the program history books across multiple categories; perhaps most notably, he put his name second all-time for career singles wins, with 37. The accomplished star also cemented his name in the doubles record books, tying for second all-time in single-season doubles wins (12, this season) and tying for second all-time in career doubles wins (32). Like McCandless, these totals were achieved in just three seasons of play as Caltech did not compete in athletics in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fellow senior Andrei Staicu (Cary, N.C. / Green Hope) finishes the year with four significant doubles wins and a pair of singles wins; he totals eight doubles victories and four singles wins in his three seasons.

Senior Ishaan Kannan (Scarsdale, N.Y. / Horace Mann) finishes his career with 15 singles wins and 17 doubles wins across his first two seasons of play. The Beaver added one more win in his lone doubles match this past March before graduating early.

Victor Li (West Chester, Pa. / Unionville) concludes his career with 12 singles wins accomplished over the course of two seasons.

Head coach Adam Clark expressed his gratitude for this senior group, who earned 10 wins this year and in 2023 helped lead the squad to a 12-win campaign and SCIAC playoff berth.

"I am so incredibly proud of this group and especially grateful to our seniors Kyle, Dan, Andrei, Ishaan, and Victor for everything they poured into this team," said Clark. "Through all the highs and lows this year this group never lost faith in each other and they were always there to pick each other up in the tough moments and they were also ready to celebrate the big wins," he said. "What a wild ride it has been and I'm so happy this group got to go through it together."

"While this senior class is leaving some big shoes to fill I'm so excited about the guys we've got returning and l know we are ready to keep building upon the legacy these seniors have built and are leaving behind!"

The program will take a well-deserved offseason before preparing for ITA Regionals play in Fall 2024.

Follow Caltech Men's Tennis on Instagram and Twitter/X and follow Caltech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram.