I watched the majority of events both days. How come the men's team did not field relay teams for the final event either yesterday or tonight? Most teams have A & B relays, but Cal had none.

The women continue to impress! The Bears swept the top four spots in the 200m freestyle and then used four different swimmers in the final event, the 800m free relay, and still placed first. Wow. GO BEARS!

Please explain the new rules for NCAA's.

Polodad said:

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Please explain the new rules for NCAA's.

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https://swimswam.com/ncaa-approves-changes-to-2026-division-i-championships-weeks-after-season-starts/

Cal women looked great except for two DQs on the opening & closing relays of the three-day meet. Fortunately, tonight, the Cal B relay ended up as the winner of the 400m free style relay with the 2nd fastest time. Bear's men looked strong, too, but don't have the depth of the women's squad.Their 400m free relay just swam the sixth fastest time in the nation to illustrate my point. GO BEARS!

Thanks.

Relays are the best parts of a swim meet, and Cal relays will be good this season also because Bears have so much depth at sprint relays although they won't score very high on individual sprint events. No NC title this year, but JKS is probably enough to cheer up many.

After winter training, hopefully the super-talented freshmen class, both men and women, will be exceptional as they should, and we'll see if the European sprinter Martin Wrede can potentially be Bears' next sprinting star.

The swim results in 2024 & 2025 suggest that the following Bears should get NC invites (at the very least). Almost all of them already have qualifying time.

Alexa McDevitt
Annie Jia
Ava Chavez
Claire Weinstein
Ella Cosgrove
Elle Scott (probably)
Kathryn Hazle
Lilou Ressencourt
Mary-Ambre Moluh
Mia West
Silje Slyngstadli
Teagan O'Dell
Relay: Sydney Griscavage

Casper Puggaard
Evan Petty
Freddy Klein (probably)
Hank Rivers
Humberto Najera
Keaton Jones
Luca Pusateri-Gissendaner
Lucca Battaglini
Nans Mazellier
Nathan Wiffen
Ryan Erisman
Yamato Okadome
Relay: Martin Wrede (Samuel Quarles?)
Diver: Joshua Thai, Geoffrey Vavitsas (Jack Clark?)

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2025-26 NCAA Men's Power Rankings: Post-Invites Edition

#10: Florida State Seminoles +5 (Previous Rank: 15)
#9: Tennessee Volunteers +1 (Previous Rank: 10)
#8: Stanford Cardinal (Previous Rank: 8)

#7: California Golden Bears -1 (Previous Rank: 6)
We all know Cal wasn't that focused on mid-season, we all know they're going to get better…but still would have liked to see a little more spark out of them in Minneapolis suited up. I think Indiana's mid-season cemented them ahead of Cal, barring any late roster additions. S.G.

Graduations just seem too much to overcome for Cal. For now, we don't know of any names they add in the spring but if there is a surprise, I will change my vote. A.P.

#6: NC State Wolfpack +1 (Previous Rank: 7)
#5: Florida Gators -1 (Previous Rank: 4)
#4: Georgia Bulldogs +1 (Previous Rank: 5)
#3: Indiana Hoosiers -- (Previous Rank: 3)
#2: Arizona State Sun Devils -- (Previous Rank: 2)
#1: Texas Longhorns -- (Previous Rank: 1)

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I just reviewed the men's and women's meet vs USC on 01/16/26. The women's meet was closer than I expected but I noticed that Teagan O'Dell DNP. I hope that she is not out long term. The men were much improved and a grad transfer from Michigan, Eduardo Moraes, captured two events for Cal. The diving program has also improved substantially on both female & male sides. GO BEARS!

If your read the calbear summary of the meet O'dell , Weinstein, and others were competing in another meet.

I guess that I missed it. Thank you for the "heads up", OB73! It's hard to keep up on the "news" on the internet.

UCLA_Vs._Cal_Dual_Results_1.17.26.pdf

Cal topples UCLA, 179-120 !

swimmer19 said:

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Mia West is the team's cheat code. This season alone, she has posted the following times:

50.7 in the 100 back
47.5 in the 100 free (splitting 46.8 on the 400 free relay)
1:41.7 in the 200 free
51.1 in the 100 fly
1:53.9 in the 200 fly

That gives her 5 NCAA scoring events and the former 3 event times were posted this past weekend coming off the team training trip to the USOTC in Colorado Springs. Given her improvement rate, I expect she will upset some big names at NCAAs.

Mia also has a time of 1:54.77 in the 200 IM which is currently #8 in the country.

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swan said:

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swimmer19 said:

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Mia West is the team's cheat code. This season alone, she has posted the following times:

50.7 in the 100 back
47.5 in the 100 free (splitting 46.8 on the 400 free relay)
1:41.7 in the 200 free
51.1 in the 100 fly
1:53.9 in the 200 fly

That gives her 5 NCAA scoring events and the former 3 event times were posted this past weekend coming off the team training trip to the USOTC in Colorado Springs. Given her improvement rate, I expect she will upset some big names at NCAAs.

Mia also has a time of 1:54.77 in the 200 IM which is currently #8 in the country.

And the 10th fastest time (4:04.91) in the 400 IM. Mia is a stud!

50.78 in the 100 back #10
47.5 in the 100 free #16
1:41.74 in the 200 free #7
51.12 in the 100 fly #12
1:53.9 in the 200 fly #13

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Cal men will be swimming at Stanford today at 1pm. Can watch on ACCN live stream (via ESPN).

Tommorw the women will be competing at home vs Stanford at noon, and also on ACcN live.stream. It will be senior day for the women.

Thanks OBear! I was able to watch the meet because of your post!

And, who won?

Cal's getting smoked

HateRed said:

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And, who won?

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swim, swam, swum, word on the street says it's good for a body, even better than Milk.

I caught the end of the meet, and the Cardinal seemed to dominate the Bears. The result was never in doubt.

mighty bears said:

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Thanks OBear! I was able to watch the meet because of your post!

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Only saw the first 5 events bit my ears was ringing listening to the announcer.

Cal women had a chance to defeat Stanford on the final 400m free style relay but couldn't do it. Stanford's Olympian anchored their victory.

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#2 Stanford Wins Close Women's Dual Over #6 Cal, 154-145, Ahead of ACC Championships

Saturday afternoon brought the anticipated cross-bay showdown between ACC and Bay Area rivals #2 Stanford and #6 Cal in women's swimming. The Stanford women came away with the victory in a close battle, 154-145.

Stanford senior Lucy Bell's first win came in the 100 breast, where she touched the wall in 57.60 to win over Cal freshman Silje Slyngstadli, who clocked a new Cal school record in 58.21.

Cal freshman Claire Weinstein was busy on the day, as she won the 200 free (1:42.13) and 500 free (4:38.65) in addition to taking third in the 100 free just 0.02 off her best time with a 47.72.

Her time in the 200 represented a new season best, while she's been as quick as 4:34.81 in the 500 back in December at the Minnesota Invite. Her best times in those events remain the 1:41.10 she posted in December 2024 and the 4:29.38 she swam in December 2023 when swimming for the Sandpipers of Nevada.

Fellow Bear freshman Teagan O'Dell swept the backstroke events, winning the 100 in a personal-best 50.51 and the 200 in 1:51.13.

In the 200, she took down her season-best 1:51.83 with 1:51.13, while her personal best is the 1:49.16 she swam at the Winter Junior Championships just over a year ago. O'Dell's former best time of 50.76 in the 100 was recorded at that same meet.

After trailing Stanford sophomore Bailey O'Regan through the first 100, Cal freshman Camille Henveaux (9:41.54) took the lead and won the women's 1000 free over the sophomore (9:43.19), with Cal junior Kathryn Hazle (9:46.84) rounding out the top three. Henveaux's lifetime best is the 9:38.18 she posted at a tri-meet in October. As for Hazle, her personal best of 9:43.55 was registered just two weeks ago at a meet against the Bruins.

Sophomore Mia West, who is having a breakthrough season after taking her freshman year to adjust to collegiate swimming, out-touched Stanford junior Caroline Bricker, the reigning 400 IM NCAA Champion and 200 long course fly national champion, by three-hundredths, 1:53.32 to 1:53.35, to win the 200 fly. She sliced just over half a second off her 1:53.94 best time from the Minnesota Invite in doing so.

The highly versatile Canadian is going to have a plethora of options of events to choose from heading into championship season, having already notched personal bests of 47.51, 1:41.74, and 4:39.75 in the freestyles, 1:54.77 and 4:04.91 in the IMs, 50.78 in the 100 back, and 51.12 in the 100 fly.


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Eric Rhodes pointed out: "So; the Cal swimmers beat the Stanford swimmers, 132 130. It's a good thing for the Cardinal that diving is an integral part of competitive swimming… "

Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein commented: " Cal is missing the elite female freestyle sprinter (50 FR, 100 FR) unlike Stanford University (T. Huske) and the University of Virginia (S. Curtis, C. Curzan, A. Moesch). The missing elite female freestyle sprinter will hold back Cal on the shorter relays. "

Go Bears replied: " Agree… but she (Rylee Erisman)'ll be here in the fall! Next year is the year they launch into serious contention. "

OSKI added: " you are correct …BEARS on the rise"


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Lucy Bell Sets 2 PBs, Wins 3 Races as Stanford Tops California

Stanford's Lucy Bell went a best time of 57.60 seconds to win the 100 breast, her first time breaking 58 seconds. It was enough to hold off the Cal school record set by freshman Silje Slynstadli at 58.21, downing the 2021 mark of 58.45 set by Ema Rajic.

Cal's Violet Williamson's score on 3-meter was the fourth-highest in program history.

Cal started the meet strong. Camille Henveaux won the 1,000 free in 9:41.54. Claire Weinstein followed with a victory in the 200 free in 1:42.13, improving her Spieker Aquatics Complex record. Weinstein won the 500 free in 4:38.65 with Henveaux second, and Weinstein also finished third in the 100 free.

O'Dell won the 100 backstroke in 50.51 seconds, the ninth-fastest time in program history. Her winning result in the 200 back of 1:51.13 was also ninth in program history, where she paced a podium sweep with Moluh and Finley Anderson. O'Dell went 1:53.19 to finish second in the 200 IM, the seventh-best time in Cal history.

Mia West won the 200 fly in 1:53.32, edging Bricker by .03 seconds. That time and her runner-up 47.72 in the 100 free both rank eighth in Cal history.


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From the SwimSwam article:

"Did a little dive on Mia West - 7 meets this year. PR in every individual race except 100 fr at Minnesota Invite (she scratched finals), and 100 fly here."

solobear said:

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Relays are the best parts of a swim meet, and Cal relays will be good this season also because Bears have so much depth at sprint relays although they won't score very high on individual sprint events. No NC title this year, but JKS is probably enough to cheer up many.

After winter training, hopefully the super-talented freshmen class, both men and women, will be exceptional as they should, and we'll see if the European sprinter Martin Wrede can potentially be Bears' next sprinting star.

The swim results in 2024 & 2025 suggest that the following Bears should get NC invites (at the very least). Almost all of them already have qualifying time.

Alexa McDevitt
Annie Jia
Ava Chavez
Claire Weinstein
Ella Cosgrove
Elle Scott (probably)
Kathryn Hazle
Lilou Ressencourt
Mary-Ambre Moluh
Mia West
Silje Slyngstadli
Teagan O'Dell
Relay: Sydney Griscavage

Casper Puggaard
Evan Petty
Freddy Klein (probably)
Hank Rivers
Humberto Najera
Keaton Jones
Luca Pusateri-Gissendaner
Lucca Battaglini
Nans Mazellier
Nathan Wiffen
Ryan Erisman
Yamato Okadome
Relay: Martin Wrede (Samuel Quarles?)
Diver: Joshua Thai, Geoffrey Vavitsas (Jack Clark?)

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Any updates to this list. Divers chances? Is there a limit to the number of swimmers for each school? Not sure with all the changes for the NC meet.

Women may have a few additions. Camille Henveaux is likely in if she can get close to her best time of 4:40.14 from last year's ACCs (current season best of 4:41.61 is 34th pre-conference). Sydney Griscavage will need to get below 22 in the 50 free to secure an individual swim (currently ranked 45th with best time of 22.13) but remains a key leg on the sprint relays. Any new additions will likely be on the bubble and need a decent drop at ACCs (while pending Big 12 results): 2025 qualifier Finley Anderson (200 back), Arielle Brotman (100 breast)

No big changes for the men, but Puggaard is on the bubble in multiple events (both fly/200 back). Other athletes on the bubble include Eduardo Moraes (500 free), Norvy Clontz (500 free), Zach Tan (100 breast), Sam Quarles (100 fly). Longer shot, but Ian Platts-Mills might qualify in the mile if he can find a few seconds to drop.

Both teams have gone from chasing qualifying times (with Pac-12s being the last conference meet) to nervously sitting and waiting for all meets to finish (with the exception of last chance meets). That definitely changes the coaches' approach to the postseason.