As the Northeast is rebounding from the first snowstorm of the year (RIP my shoes), we’re taking a trip out West for my FIRST SEASON PREVIEW! Although my Hot Take has not aged particularly well (@ITA instead of pushing the release date of the rankings back twice, you could just, you know…put out the rankings…on time…I’m not mad… just disappointed) I’m excited to build off the team’s momentum with our 3rd preview of the week! Stay tuned for weekly Regional previews over the next two months, but now let’s get under way with the Caltech Beavers.
A lot has changed for Caltech over the past couple years, and the team has been making the transition from the team all top-ranked teams spending spring break in California schedule as a warm-up (a la Chapman), to SCIAC contender and a team that can put a scare into anyone on their schedule. Caltech had a strong year last year behind freshmen James Wei and Varun Shanker, and with its third nationally-ranked recruiting class in a row and a new coach, there’s a lot to be excited about in Pasadena this year! Less get it!
Location: Pasadena, CA
Coach: Jason Cohen (1st year – formerly of Colby)
Assistant Coach: None
ITA National Ranking: See above
Blog Power ranking: I’ve got them at 28
Power 6 UTR: 68
Twitter: @CaltechMTEN (new this year, but with Coach Cohen running it, should be reliable for updates and attempts at humor)
Hashtag: #gobeavers, #eagerbeavers, #showmethewei
Key Additions: Matthew Gonzalgo (3-star, #220, UTR: 10.92), Patryk Kozlowski (3-star, #173, UTR: 11.1), Jake Will (2-star from Honolulu!, #365, UTR: 10.34), Coach Jason Cohen (Colby)
Key Departures: None
Lineup Analysis:
- Varun Shanker, sophomore, UTR 11.64, range= 1-2. The sophomore was 11-6 at the top spot last year, and that’s where I see him at the beginning of the season. Shanker scored notable wins over Attia (L&C), Reed (CNU) and Lipscomb (Redlands) and took close loses to Watanabe (George Fox) and Parodi (CMS). It was a pretty chalk year for a talented freshman – some good wins but nothing that screams stud #1. This fall, Varun took a routine win over Cummins from Redlands at ITAs before falling to Bellet (Pomona) in the second round. We know Shanker can be a stud in the doubles lineup, but Caltech’s packed schedule means that he’ll be the underdog in a bunch of matches this year, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him bumped down to #2 at some point to gain some confidence if he falters early. If he can build off last year and become a threat at the top of the lineup, Caltech becomes a very scary team.
- James Wei, sophomore, UTR 11.61, range= 1-2. James had a fantastic year at #2-4 last year, going 13-2 with wins over Fleming (Mary Washington), Cerny (CNU), Hadlich (UT Tyler) and Krimbill (Redlands) with a superbreaker loss to Katzman (CMS). As Wei started the season at #4, we didn’t get to see him at #2 against Pomona, L&C, and George Fox, but I’m pretty high on him heading into the spring season. He had a great win over Gordy (CMS) 7-5 in the third at ITAs before falling to Meister(CMS) in the second round. Look for James to be a rock for Caltech this year, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him at #1.
- Kevin Yu, sophomore, UTR 11.28, range= 3-4. Yu had a good freshman year last year, going 11-3 playing #3-6. Yu took close loses to Gearou (Pomona), Trouerbach (L&C), and Burney (CMS). Most of Yu’s wins were one-sided, so it’ll be interesting to see his results this year with Caltech’s challenging schedule. Yu was the 1 seed in the B flight West ITA, but rumors are that he was injured, which could have factored into his first round loss.
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smile and wave boys, smile and wave Miha Valencic, junior, UTR 11.25, range=3-4. Valencic and his crazy head of hair have been a mainstay in the Caltech lineup since his freshman year, and last year was probably his best year yet. He went 13-3 with wins over Pomona, George Fox, CNU, Redlands, and CMS. This fall Miha lost a battle to Vemuri (CMS) 7-6 in the third at ITAs. Valencic is the elder statesman of the Beavers’ lineup, and young teams always need an upper classman to provide leadership (see: Bessette, Zach – Amherst). As his battle with Verumi shows, I feel like Miha has the potential to play higher in the lineup, but either due to stacking or poor practice performance, he always seems to win lower in the lineup as guys ahead of him go down. Look for Valencic to be a key performer for Caltech this season, as his point in the middle of the lineup is one that the Beavers are going to need.
- Matthew Gonzalgo, freshman, UTR 10.92, range= 5-7. The freshman from Florida had some strong wins the summer heading into his freshman year, and won two rounds at ITAs before falling to Schwartz (Pomona) 6-4 in the third. A limited sample size for sure, but Gonzalgo was the 4 seed in the B flight, but hopefully his first taste of college tennis will lead to a (balmy) winter full of tennis and hard work to help his team in the spring.
- Patryk Kozlowski, freshman, UTR 11.10, range= 5-7. The California-native decided to stay close to home for college and his experience with SoCal outdoor tennis gives him the edge, plus I don’t have much else to go on. The freshman got beat by Liu (CMS) at ITAs, but I’m not going to put much stock into his first college match ever. I’m putting Kozlowski in the #6 spot for now, but Caltech has a bunch of different players that can fill lower lineup spots, and I expect Coach Cohen to move his guys around at the beginning of the season until he finds a lineup that works
IN THE HUNT: Derik Nguyen, senior, UTR 10.72, range= 5-7. Nguyen has experience in the lineup, and did beat Mandic (Pomona) last year. I don’t see the senior starting off the year in the lineup, but he could provide some much needed stability and leadership as the year progresses. Jake Will (freshman), Connor Soohoo (junior) and Zixiao Li (senior) also will all be looking to make an impact.
Doubles: Predicting doubles teams is always a crapshoot, and the only solidified team for the Beavers is their #1 team of Wei and Shanker. The duo killed it this fall, winning the West ITA and winning a round at the ITA Cup. They won a ton of breakers along the way which hopefully means they’re heading into the spring battle tested and ready to win tight matches. Caltech’s other doubles spots are up in the air, and hopefully a lot of doubles will be practiced before the spring season starts!
Schedule Analysis: A FANTASTIC schedule put together by Coach Cohen. Last year’s schedule didn’t include a ton of chances to crack the top 25, but this year’s schedule is littered with opportunities for big wins. Here’s Caltech’s schedule divided into three sections:
Heavy Favorites: UCSC (2/10), Rhodes (3/4), Vassar (3/10), Cal Lu (4/5), Occidental (4/6), Chapman (4/13), Whittier (4/20)
A loss in any of these matches would be a huge step backwards, unless Cruz rebounds from a tough fall
Toss-Ups: Brandeis (2/18), Swarthmore (3/11), Skidmore (3/13), Tufts (3/16), Hobart (3/17), Whitman (3/23), Colby (3/26), George Fox (3/27), Redlands (3/30)
The Beavers’ season will be made from March 11 to March 30. Caltech has a slight edge on Skidmore, Hobart, Colby and George Fox and will be slight underdogs against Deis, Tufts and Whitman. The Swarthmore match is too close to call, and it will be interesting to see how Redlands rebounds from last year. The Hobart match could be a trap match as it’s right in the middle of that brutal stretch.
Underdogs: Williams (3/23),Pomona (4/12), CMS (4/19)
I almost made the Pomona match a toss-up, but I think Pomona has advantages at most lineup spots, and while an upset wouldn’t be a shock, it’s unlikely.
It’s interesting to note that Caltech is not leaving California for any matches. While the team certainly was able to put together a comprehensive schedule without travelling, those trips are great for team building and chemistry.
Coach’s Corner: “This is a pretty awesome time to be at Caltech. We are looking to build off of last year’s progress with our returners improving and some first year athletes who can make an impact right away. I know the team as a whole has taken our fall results as a sign we are able to compete with anybody. We will get the chance to prove that with a really tough schedule that is packed with opportunity day in and day out against nationally ranked reams. There isn’t much more you can ask for as a coach except to have great weather to play in everyday, oh wait we have that too” – Head Coach Jason Cohen on his thoughts heading into next year.
Final Thoughts: I think Caltech will have a solid year, beating Redlands, finishing in the Top 25, and pushing Pomona for second in the SCIAC. The young guys are ready to ball out, and Coach Cohen seems poised to help the team build upon the momentum it gained under former coach Mandy Gamble. My one concern is that if you take a look at Caltech’s projected lineup, the word “senior” is nowhere to be found. Strong leadership is even more important at a particularly rigorous academic school like Caltech. Take a look at MIT and Chicago. Both get fantastic recruits, yet Chicago turned the corner a few years ago, while MIT is stuck in the 25-30 range. Learning how to balance the workload while still making tennis a priority isn’t easy. I love this article Chicago put out two years ago regarding leadership (http://uaasports.info/sports/general/2016-17/studentathletefeatures/uctennis-2), and I think it perfectly sums up the work ethic needed to be a great team. Caltech has strong players but won’t be able to get by on talent alone. There’s a lot of room to grow this offseason, and I think the Beavers will surprise a lot of people this year.
If you think I’m full of it, made mistakes, or just wrote the best article you’ve ever read, leave a comment below or drop 180 characters on Twitter!
In the Valencic section, I think you meant “Vemuri”, not “Verumi”
Good catch, thanks, hate seeing players’ names misspelled
Do a preview for LUTHER