The Caltech men's water polo team showed promise during the 2024 season, earning victories from high production by its young players.
The Beavers first victory came against Santa Monica College in just the second game on the season schedule as Caltech entered the fourth quarter tied and emerged with a 13-12 win. First-year Carl Crum (San Carlos, Calif. / Sacred Heart Preparatory) tallied a double hat trick against Santa Monica. His offensive dominance – which included the game-winner – proved critical in the one-goal victory. The performance was the first of four consecutive games in which Crum scored at least 3 goals, and was the second game of a five-game goal-scoring streak for the attacker.
Crum provided opportunities to the Caltech offense all season, as he broke the program record for drawn exclusions with 40 on the year. Fittingly, The Beaver offense spread the Santa Monica defense in the Caltech's first victory, as sophomore Axel Haydt (Austin, Texas / Westlake) also recorded a hat trick in the game. Sophomore attacker Joshua Braun (Bakersfield, Calif. / Garces Memorial) scored two goals of his own in the win.
Surprisingly, given their production against Santa Monica, none of the aforementioned players led Caltech in scoring in 2024-25 (Crum was second on the team). That accomplishment went to junior center Bram Schork (Villanova, Pa. / The Haverford School) who scored 46 goals on 106 shots for a remarkable .434 shooting-percentage on the year. Schork's offensive efficiency benefited from teammates' efforts, creating options for the Beavers and demonstrating their offensive depth this past season.
Caltech followed the win against Santa Monica with an 11-4 home victory against the Chaffey College Panthers. Crum and sophomore attacker Alexi Staph (Santa Barbara, Calif. / San Marcos) each recorded hat tricks as the Beavers put on an offensive clinic. With 10 assists on 11 goals, Caltech moved the ball well against Chaffey, but also did so during the season as a whole. Five Beavers had at least 15 assists on the year.
Attacker Justin Hong (Pasadena, Calif. / Pasadena) led all Beavers in assists in 2024 with 20 helpers. Hong, yet another sophomore, joins Crum, Haydt, Braun and Staph as high-accomplishing Beavers with at least two years of eligibility remaining. As such, the future looks bright for Caltech Men's Water Polo.
