The Caltech men's basketball team opened its season in Milwaukee last weekend at the 2010 All-Engineers Classic. The tournament was Caltech's first out-of-state trip since 2004, when it played in the inaugural Classic, hosted by the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). This year, Carnegie Mellon and Merchant Marine Academy rounded out the rest of the field. "All the teams that are in it are very good and have had good programs in the last several years," said head coach Oliver Eslinger. "It presents good competition for us."
The Beavers faced off against MSOE on Saturday, but fell 77-49. In the consolation round against Merchant Marine Academy, Caltech fought hard, battling back from 19 down to come within 5 points with 2:26 left. Although they again lost, 67-59, the tournament was a success overall, providing invaluable experience and building camaraderie among an already close-knit group, Eslinger said.
"We have a lot more experience from our sophomore class this year and our incoming freshmen," said senior captain Ryan Elmquist, who earned all-tournament honors. "Seeing our new team play together was probably the highlight."
"Getting to hang out with the guys was a great time," said sophomore Mike Edwards, the team's leading scorer last year. "I'm really looking forward to the season."
