Juarez is a Champion

Congratulations to Caltech's Teri Juarez, a standout student-athlete at Caltech, who was recently the cover person for Champion...check out the article here and view the publication here. Juarez is an important part - a champion - of the Caltech community as she represents two varsity teams, works in admissions, and has much academic and research experience.

Searching for Victory, Beavers set more Records

Caltech's comeback wasn't quite enough on Saturday against La Verne. The Beavers, after being down 13 at halftime saw the spread briefly swell to 20 with just more than six minutes to play (67-47), but they battled back with great defense and scoring punch to finish the game on a 23-9 run. Final score: 76-70.

(Recaps from GoCaltech.com and Pasadena Star-News)

The team continues to set program records as it looks for its next win. On Saturday, Caltech set the mark for the most 3-pointers made in a game as four players combined for a 12 for 22 night from behind the arc. Sophomore Mike Edwards tied his own Caltech record (in an NCAA game) with seven made treys on his way to a career-best 35 points. The 35-point effort ties Travis Haussler's school record for the most points against an NCAA opponent. Freshman Mike Paluchniak poured in a career-high 16 points. In addition, the 6-point margin of defeat is the closest Caltech has come on the road to a SCIAC or NCAA opponent since the 1995-96 season when the Beavers lost by three points at Redlands.

Caltech plays its next two games at home this coming Wednesday and Saturday.

Overtime

In Wednesday's overtime thriller, Todd Cramer was one assist away from the program's first triple-double. Cramer produced 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists. The nine dimes tied a school record for helpers and set a Caltech record for most assists in an NCAA game.

Mike Edwards lit up the scoreboard with a season-high 28 points while Ryan Elmquist and Mike Paluchniak also scored in double figures, with 13 points and 11 points, respectively.

The Redlands' site notes just how close the game was while the Pasadena Star-News was also on hand to witness the tight contest.

The New Year

After opening the new year in a tough game against Eastern Connecticut, the Beavers got back on the winning track with a solid victory over Wisconsin Lutheran last Monday. The fourth win of the season was seized in the second half of the game as the Beavers outscored their opponent 44-31. Mike Edwards poured in 26 points while Todd Cramer and Ryan Elmquist scored 19 and 14, respectively. Cramer also tallied seven assists and six rebounds.

Caltech next opened SCIAC play with a much anticipated home game after a nice preview in the Pasadena Star-News. Hosting Pomona-Pitzer in front of a packed Braun Gym, the Beavers held a 7-point lead early in the second half but were unable to extend it. The Sagehens continued to pull closer and eventually took the lead, one that it managed to secure, 46-41, despite Caltech holding them to 29.5 percent shooting. Edwards was the game-high scorer as he went 6 of 12 from the field for 15 points. The Star-News and KCAL9 were there to cover the event.

Beavers Slug It Out, Post Another W; Elmquist Makes History

If you weren't in Braun Gym on Saturday evening for Caltech's rematch against UC Santa Cruz, you missed a dandy. The Beavers edged the Banana Slugs 63-62 thanks to 50 percent shooting from the field, 17 assists on 22 field goals, and six blocked shots. Todd Cramer paced Tech with 20 points while Mike Edwards had 11 points and 7 assists. Mike Paluchniak added seven points, three assists, two blocks, one steal and a team-leading eight rebounds.

Ryan Elmquist's first bucket put him in the 1,000 Point Club. His four blocked shots cemented his name in Caltech lore as he set the program mark for swats in a career, surpassing Ben Turk's record of 126.

Elmquist Named Athlete of Week

The SCIAC announced Caltech senior captain Ryan Elmquist earned Athlete of the Week honors for the week ending December 10.

Read the Caltech release here.

See the official news on the SCIAC site here.

Coasts Converge: Caltech in the New York Times

The Beavers are presented in today's New York Times. The story by John Branch was posted online Wednesday where it ran on the home page for much of the evening. The national edition in print featured the first part of the story on A1 just below the fold. The article made the top 20 most e-mailed during its first 24 hours. Here is the original story as it was when first released on December 15.