2018-2019 WOMEN'S NCAA POWER RANKINGS: FIRST EDITION


(Also receiving votes: Florida)

#20: NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS (2018 NCAA FINISH: 22ND)

#19: MISSOURI TIGERS (2018 NCAA FINISH: 15TH)

#18: ARIZONA WILDCATS (2018 NCAA FINISH: 20TH)

#17: WISCONSIN BADGERS (2018 NCAA FINISH: 17TH)

#16: OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (2018 NCAA FINISH: 13TH)

#15: AUBURN TIGERS (2018 NCAA FINISH: 16TH)

#14: NC STATE WOLFPACK (2018 NCAA FINISH: 18TH)

#13: KENTUCKY WILDCATS (2018 NCAA FINISH: 14TH)

#12: GEORGIA BULLDOGS (2018 NCAA FINISH: 11TH)
It's tough to rank this group, which is powered by a highly-talented but unproven (at the NCAA level at least) freshman class. Is former #1 overall recruit Eva Merrell healthy? Just how many star freshman flyers will this program have? There's a high ceiling, but a lot to prove for this group early on. -JA

#11: USC TROJANS (2018 NCAA FINISH: 12TH)
We're not going to know exactly what USC has until January, with top prospect Erica Sullivan sitting out the fall semester and a few other key pickups transitioning to short course yards. Transfer Courtney Caldwell could be a massive get, if she's recovered after an injury-riddled season with NC State. -JA

#10: MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS (2018 NCAA FINISH: 10TH)

#9: VIRGINIA CAVALIERS (2018 NCAA FINISH: 9TH)
Sure, the Wahoos graduated a lot of points and key relay legs from Caitlin Cooper and Jen Marrkand. But at what point do we start trusting coach Todd Desorbo more than the questions his team faces? UVA overperformed expectations by a country mile last season, and another top 10 finish in 2019 would only add to the growing buzz in Charlottesville. My head says I ranked Virginia where the numbers say they should be (12th). My gut says that's too low, and I might be changing tunes in a hurry by our next rankings. -JA

#8: TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (2018 NCAA FINISH: 7TH)

#7: INDIANA HOOSIERS (2018 NCAA FINISH: 8TH)

#6: TEXAS A&M AGGIES (2018 NCAA FINISH: 3RD)
A&M graduated a lot, but they've already proven they're a reliable program that creates NCAA scorers and doesn't rely too heavily on a few top swimmers. They get the benefit of the doubt despite not returning a ton of points. -JA

#5: LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (2018 NCAA FINISH: 5TH)
Louisville was scheduled to return all 20 relay legs, before rising junior Rachel Bradford-Feldman was missing from the 2018-2019 roster. Mallory Comerford is one of 3 serious candidates for NCAA Swimmer of the Year (Ella Eastin, Taylor Ruck) -BK

#4: TEXAS LONGHORNS (2018 NCAA FINISH: 6TH)
The Longhorns have steadily built up a deep roster and their sprint-heavy freshman class is a boost individually and for relays. -KO
A small recruiting class, but one that could have incredible relay impact with the best 50 freestyler (Grace Ariola, 22.17) and best 100 freestyler (Julia Cook, 47.82) in the entire recruiting class. -JA

#3: MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (2018 NCAA FINISH: 4TH)
Our consensus #3 team, Michigan returns a very strong core and supplements with an internationally-accomplished freshman class. The Wolverines are well-rounded enough to have five great relays despite graduating key pieces. And Siobhan Haughey is next-level good. -JA

#2: CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS (2018 NCAA FINISH: 2ND)
After Stanford's Simone Manuel and Katie Ledecky turned pro early, Cal had an avenue to a 2019 team title. Kathleen Baker doing the same later in the summer made that road much tougher. -BK
Prospects look a lot different with Baker out of the mix, but Cal still has plenty of talent. Abbey Weitzeil could be the best sprinter and relay hero in the NCAA. Katie McLaughlin has been getting better and better since her 2016 neck injury. -JA

#1: STANFORD CARDINAL (2018 NCAA FINISH: 1ST)
That graduating class (Manuel, Ledecky, Hu, Howe, Engel, Cook) should be downright roster-crushing. But for Stanford, it just means the best recruiting classes of the last several years have more opportunities to shine. 48.2/1:44.7/4:36.6 sophomore Lauren Pitzer has barely gotten any NCAA relay swims. 3:59 IMer/4:37 freestyler Brooke Forde was basically an afterthought on this roster as a freshman. Last year, Stanford was leaving 48-lows off their 400 free relay, 22-lows off their 200 free relay and a 1:40 off their 800 free relay while still winning all three. This is the best roster in swimming right now, and while there are a lot more question marks than a year ago, it's impossible to pick anywhere else at the moment. -JA

Swimming World Presents "A Transition Year for College Swimming"



A Transition Year for College Swimming

College swimming may have lost the top two swimmers in the world-with Katie Ledecky turning pro and Caeleb Dressel graduating-but there will still be plenty of storylines to follow this college season.

Last year, if you took away all of the points that Ledecky, Manuel and Eastin scored, the Cardinal still would have won the national championship. However, Stanford also lost elite graduated seniors Janet Hu, Ally Howe and Olympic diver Kassidy Cook.

There are many other talented swimmers returning from the juggernaut Cardinal team plus a superstar recruit in Canadian Taylor Ruck. She'll provide Stanford with another dynamic presence after earning gold last summer at Pan Pacs, beating Ledecky in the 200 free-not to mention winning an additional silver and three bronze medals in Tokyoplus six gold medals at the 2017 World Junior Championships and two bronze medals at the 2016 Olympics!

Quote:

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"It is no secret that we are losing a ton, but I think we have a good group of freshmen who will be able to make an impact down the road," Meehan said. "Taylor is coming in with a little bit more experience than the others, but I am thrilled about our class. It is probably the best incoming class we have ever signed, and Taylor certainly leads the way with her international experience and her versatility."

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NCAA runner-up Cal has Amy Bilquist, Katie McLauglin, Maddie Murphy and Abbey Weitzeil returning, but definitely will miss the presence and point scoring at NCAAs of Baker, who won multiple national championships individually and on relays.

Texas A&M will look different, too. Last year's third-place team loses a dominant senior group that included Lisa Bratton, Jorie Caneta, Bethany Galat and Beryl Gastaldello.

Cal women's swim and dive returns 23 in pursuit of NCAA Championships

By Chanun Ong | Staff

After two consecutive second-place finishes to rival Stanford in the NCAA Championships, the Cal women's team approaches its first meet of the new season with the goal of returning to the grandest stage in college swimming.

Last season, the Bears came away with a bounty of new records, including a sweep of school relay records in the 200 free relay, the 200 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay. Cal's performance was capped off with an outstanding showing from Olympian Kathleen Baker, who set a new national record in the 200-yard backstroke and a program best time in the 200 medley.

From freshmen to seniors, the team is armed with the same grit and drive that propelled it to the NCAA Championships last season.

"I think we're really honed in on what the end goal is," said senior captain Amy Bilquist. "I think that's what we're really striving for this year, not being so much individual pieces but being one collective unit striving towards the goal."

Assistant coach Sarah Dunleavy attested to both the high aspirations and the raw ability of Cal's swimmers this year.

"I think the goal is to always to win a national championship, especially at the point that Cal is at with its program," Dunleavy said. "I think we're in a really good place to be able to definitely be in the conversation."

In their push for the title, the Bears will have to manage the vacancy left by Baker, who has forgone her last year of NCAA eligibility and turned professional. A part of the gold-medal American 400 medley relay team at the 2016 Olympics, Baker also owns both a silver medal and a world record 58-second time in the 100-meter backstroke.

"It's sad she's gone, but I think the team is doing really well with her turning pro," Bilquist said of her former teammate. "I think it's kind of a good wake-up call for some people. We have to step up even more."

Twenty-three swimmers from last year's second-place team have returned, but the talent in the freshman class will certainly be called upon. Cal added five new names to watch this season: Cassidy Bayer, Elise Garcia, Ema Rajic, Alex Sumner and Alicia Wilson.

WSWIM | 10/3/2018 11:20 AM | By: Cal Athletics

Bears Head To Fresno For 6-Team Meet

Chick-Fil-A Invitational Features 18 Events Over 3 Days


California makes its second road trip of the young season when the Golden Bears travel to Fresno for the Chick-fil-A Invitational Friday and Saturday.

Cal and host Fresno State will be joined by teams from Washington State, San Jose Stae, San Diego State and Air Force at the meet. There will be two sessions of racing on Friday, followed by a single session on Saturday with a total of 18 events contested over the weekend.

The invitational serves as a bit of a homecoming for head coach Teri McKeever, who served as head coach at Fresno State from 1987 until she moved to Cal in 1992 and was inducted into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame last November.

• LIVE RESULTS => http://sidearmstats.com/fresnostate/swim/

10 IN A ROW AMONG NCAA TOP 3
Coming off a national runner-up finish, Cal has placed among the top three at the NCAA Championships 10 years in a row - the longest current streak in the country. Included in the run are four national titles, coming in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015. The Bears were also second in 2013, 2017 and 2018, and third in 2010, 2014 and 2016.

GOLDEN BEAR TRIO ON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM
Three Golden Bears have been chosen to represent the United States at the 2019 World Championships in South Korea - senior Katie McLaughlin, junior Abbey Weitzeil and Kathleen Baker. McLaughlin, who will swim the 100-meter butterfly, returns to Worlds for the first time since 2015 when she earned gold in the 800 free relay. Weitzeil will be competing in her third World Championships, which included a bronze medal in the 400 free relay in 2015, and will swim the 50 free and on the 400 free relay. Baker is one of three swimmers on the roster to qualify in four events - 50, 100 and 200 back and 200 individual medley - and she will likely be on the medley relay. She earned three medals at the 2017 world meet - gold (400 medley relay), silver (100 back) and bronze (200 back).

THREE BEARS NOMINATED FOR GOLDEN GOGGLES
A trio of Golden Bears Katie McLaughlin, Kathleen Baker and head coach Teri McKeever are nominees for USA Swimming's Golden Goggles Awards, which will be presented on Nov. 19 during a ceremony in New York. McLaughlin is a candidate for the Perseverance Award, while Baker is nominated for Female Athlete of the Year and Female Race of the Year after setting a world record in the 100-meter backstroke over the summer. McKeever is one of five in the running for Coach of the Year. Fans can have a say in who wins the awards by voting through usaswimming.org through Nov. 9.

TERI McKEEVER TO BE INDUCTED INTO CAL ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
Head coach Teri McKeever, now in her 27th season at Cal, will be enshrined into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame at an Oct. 26 ceremony and will be introduced on the field with her fellow inductees during the Cal-Washington football game the following day. The 2012 U.S. Olympic head coach, McKeever has guided the Bears to four NCAA team championships and four Pac-12 team titles, among many other honors.

Quick comment FWIW:

Billy, Alex S didn't compete, likely still recovering? Chenoa & Alexa S-N were also no-shows. Cassidy & Sophie did race, and their times may have been affected by their knee issues, esp our froski.

Despite all of this, team scores would have been even more lopsided in favour of Bears if we had brought along our divers (SDSU piled up quite a number of points from their diving events), or not exhibitioned or put in our real "A" relay teams (however, this wouldn't have been advised or necessary at all since our coaches are still getting a feel for what each team member's capable of in various situations, esp the freshies)...

Definitely some promising swims that could herald a positive sign of things to come, but at the same time also several slower-than-might-have-been-expected starts to the season...bit of a mixed bag really, but since it's a mite early in the season to come to any meaningful conclusions or predictions yet, will keep the discussion to PM for now lol


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Cal Sweeps 11 Events At Chick-fil-A Invite

Bears Look For Strong Finish To 6-Team Meet On Saturday

• RESULTS

FRESNO Sarah Darcel, Katie McLaughlin and Abbey Weitzeil won two events apiece as Cal swept all 11 races on the first day of the Chick-fil-A Invitational Friday at Fresno State.

Darcel claimed first in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:00.72, leading a 1-2-3 Golden Bear finish, and she came back in the evening session to earn a victory in the 400 IM with a time of 4:15.32. McLaughlin posted her two wins in back-to-back races, capturing the 100 butterfly in 53.62 followed by a 1:46.65 victory in the 200 freestyle. Weitzeil took first in the 50 free in 22.17 and in the 100 breaststroke in 1:02.76.

Those three Bears also contributed to relay victories. Cal opened the morning session by taking the 200 medley relay as the foursome of Courtney Mykkanen, Weitzeil, Elise Garcia and McLaughlin touched first in 1:41.93. Later, Keaton Blovad, Garcia, McLaughlin and Weitzeil won the 200 free relay in 1:32.15. The Bears then closed out the night with a 12-second win the 800 free relay, as Alicia Wilson, Weitzeil, Darcel and Robin Neumann were timed in 7:19.70.

Other individual winners on the day were: Neumann in the 500 free (4:52.38) and Aislinn Light in the 100 back (55.80).

"Overall, I thought we did a nice job with some good, solid racing," head coach Teri McKeever said. "We had some different people step up, like Aislinn winning the 100 back. Sarah and Robin did a great job to kick off their sophomore years at Cal, and we saw great leadership from Katie and Abbey. It was also good to see three of our freshmen, Alicia, Ema (Rajic) and Elise, get off to a good start. I feel like we got some good information from a coaching perspective and see some things we can build on. We're looking forward to finishing strong on Saturday and getting ready to host Utah next week."

Cal leads the six-team invitational with 784 points, with San Diego State second with 658 and host Fresno State third in 283. Air Force (248), Washington State (233) and San Jose State (161) round out the field. The final seven events will be contested Saturday, starting at 10 a.m.

Tough swim for Ali Harrison after a good Frosh year. Hoping she will swim well enough to possibly relieve Abbey from one of the breast legs of the medley relays. Maddie Murphy needs to step it up too after IMO a sub par soph year.

Why was Amy Bilquist held out of the Fresno State meet? Without Kathleen Baker, it's hard to know whether Cal
will finish top three in nationals to continue their streak. If she would have stayed, the Bears would have been competitive for the national championship. How much do swimmers earn by leaving a year early? I can see it in the NFL or the NBA because a first round draft selection can mean millions annually. Bilquist was discussing
how the team is attempting to adjust to compete without her (Baker).

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Abbey Weitzeil broke three individual facility records at the Chick-fil-A Invitational, including in the 100 free Saturday.

Bears Close Out Invite With Four More Wins

Cal Sets 10 Facility Records In 2-Day Meet at Fresno State

• RESULTS

FRESNO Cal wrapped up the Chick-fil-A Invitational Saturday with wins in four more events, including victories in the 400 medley relay and 400 free relay. As a result, the Golden Bears captured 15 of the 18 swimming events over the two-day meet.

Senior Katie McLaughlin and junior Abbey Weitzeil both picked up their third individual wins of the weekend and broke facility records in their Saturday victories. McLaughlin claimed the 200-yard butterfly to go with her triumphs in the 100 fly and 200 free from Friday, while Weitzeil added the 100 free crown to her 50 free and 100 breast victories.

The Bears opened the final session by posting the top four times in the 400 medley relay. The quartet of Aislinn Light, Ema Rajic, McLaughlin and Weitzeil paced the field with a mark of 3:44.36.

Cal had no entries in the 1650 free, and in the next race, freshman Alicia Wilson posted the Bears' top result in the 200 backstroke, finishing second in 2:01.17. Teammates Keaton Blovad, Courtney Mykkanen and Robin Neumann were right behind in places 3-5, as all four Bears touched within a second of each other.

In the 100 free, Weitzeil was the only swimmer under 50 seconds as she was timed in 48.78, with Neumann in third (50.41) and freshman Elise Garcia fourth (51.48). Rajic, also a freshman, led Cal in the 200 breaststroke with a fourth-place showing in 2:20.18.

In the 200 fly, the Bears claimed the first four spots, led by McLaughlin's 1:57.33. Freshman Cassidy Bayer was next in 2:01.52, with sophomore Sarah Darcel third (2:03.43) and Garcia fourth (2:03.86).

The foursome of Neumann, Maddy Murphy, McLaughlin and Weitzeil closed out the meet by winning the 400 free relay by nearly six seconds in 3:21.30.

"I felt we had three really good sessions of racing this weekend," head coach Teri McKeever said. "I thought Katie and Abbey continued to shine, not only on the relays, but also individually. The results of the meet let us know where we are at this point of the season. We are moving in the right direction with still a long way to go, and we can use what we learned here to put into our training and make adjustments individually and collectively. That's really the purpose of these early meets."

Overall, Cal won the six-team invitational with 1,250 points. San Diego State was second with 963 points, followed by Fresno State (487), Washington State (380), Air Force (367) and San Jose State (275).

The Bears broke 10 Fresno Aquatics Center records over the two days of racing three by Weitzeil (50 free, 100 free, 100 breast), two by McLaughlin (200 free, 200 fly) and in all five relays.

Cal has a quick turnaround in its schedule, as the Bears host Utah in a coed dual meet starting at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Spieker Aquatics Complex.

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https://instagr.am/p/Bomw_EeB2jo
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UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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Bears Close Out Invite With Four More Wins

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MCLAUGHLIN AND WEITZEIL SHINE AS CAL WOMEN WIN CHIC FIL A INVITE



The Cal Berkeley women were all over the place at the 2018 Chic Fil A Invite in Fresno, with Katie McLaughlin and Abbey Weitzeil putting up very strong times for October.

Notably, All-American Amy Bilquist and freshman Alex Sumner, both backstrokers, were absent from the meet. Neither raced at Cal's first meet against Cal Poly, either.


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btw, looks like the following Bears had achieved NCAA 'B' cuts from their Fresno Invite swims - not too shabby a feat considering this time of the season, swimming unsuited & w/o rest:

Abbey - 50 Free, 100 Free
Katie - 200 Free, 100 Fly, 200 Fly

• Pool records smashed that were formerly held by Bears:

Katie - 200 Free (Bug's 1:46.65 over Lizzie's 1:48.20 from 2012), 200 Fly (1:57.33 v. Caitlin's 2:00.99 from 2012)
200 Medley Relay - 1:41.93 (Coco, Abbey, Elise, Katie) v. 1:42.06 (Billy, Abbey, Nono, Robin from last year)
800 Free Relay - 7:19.70 (Alicia, Abbey, Sarah, Robin) v. 7:24.60 (Thleen, Keeks, Robin, Bug from last year)
400 Medley Relay - 3:44.36 (Aislinn, Ema, Bug, Abbey) v. 3:45.90 (Cindy, Caitlin, Kelly, Cat from 2012)
400 Free Relay - 3:21.30 (Robin, Madds, Bug, Abbey) v. 3:22.51 (Thleen, Robin, Bug, Abbey from last year)


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Cal women's swim serves success at Chick-Fil-A Invitational


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• Just an idle thought lol - perhaps a timely idea to invite a few top 2020 swim recruits to take a trip to Berkeley this weekend (Nat Champ + Homecoming Week, Reunion + Parents Weekend)??

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Cal Celebrates National Championship Week

Bears Captured NCAA Titles In Women's Rowing, Women's Swimming in 2018

BERKELEY The 2018 National Championship Week will be held Oct. 8-13, culminating with the champions being introduced on the field during the Cal-UCLA football game.



The first to step to the top of the podium was Kathleen Baker in women's swimming & diving. For several years, she had set her sights on breaking the American record in the 200-yard backstroke and had come within half a second of the mark on a couple of occasions.

In the final session of the 2018 NCAA Championships, Baker at last claimed the record. In her race, she led from the start and touched the wall in 1:47.30 to win the national title in the event for the second straight year. Her time lowered the record of 1:47.84 held by another Golden Bear, Elizabeth Pelton, set in 2013. In fact, Baker's win gave Cal its eighth all-time victory in the race and kept the school's hold on the American record dating back to Natalie Coughlin in 2001.


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https://instagr.am/p/BoskwxaB6rF


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Anyone planning to attend & cheer on both our women & men v the Utes @ Spieker tomorrow afternoon?

Will be brilliant to welcome our freshies at their first home dual meet on Wed!

Furdettes + Furds are facing Utah @ 2 pm this afternoon @ Avery, so could be interesting comparing times & results for the 2 meets.

• Trees v. Utes (livestream)

Might be more of a case of apples & oranges though as the new season's just starting in earnest, with a lot of swimmers tackling off events since the coaches will be experimenting & shuffling personnel around to get a feel for everyone's strengths/weaknesses & progress on the team.

A more valid comparison would be the match against the Horns on 11 Nov, since Bears & the Card will be hosting home duals against a Top 5 ranked team...


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Home Opener Pits Cal Against Utah

Bears Host Coed Dual Meet Wednesday At 4:30 PM

California opens its home schedule on Wednesday by welcoming Utah to Spieker Aquatics Complex for a co-ed dual meet that begins at 4:30 p.m.

The Bears are 5-0 all-time against the Utes, including a victory in Salt Lake City last year when Cal freshmen accounted for five individual victories - two by Ali Harrison (100 and 200 breast) and one each by Briana Thai (1-meter diving), Sophie Krivokapic-Zhou (200 back) and Sarah Darcel (200 IM). This year's meet marks the first time the Bears' current crop of freshmen will suit up at home for a dual.


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https://instagr.am/p/BouRcvCBG4V

Stanford vs. Cal February Duel Meet to be Broadcasted Live by Pac-12 Network

Cal-Stanford last ten meetings

• 2018, Stanford, 186-110 (Palo Alto)*
• 2017, Stanford, 177-123 (Berkeley)*
• 2016, Stanford, 172-128 (Palo Alto)
• 2015, California, 158-142 (Berkeley)*
• 2014, Stanford, 167-133 (Palo Alto)
• 2013, California, 154.5-145.5 (Berkeley)
• 2012, Stanford, 174-126 (Palo Alto)**
• 2011, California, 155-145 (Berkeley)*
• 2010, Stanford, 167-131 (Palo Alto)
• 2009, Stanford, 162-129 (Berkeley)**

*team went on to win national title
**team lost duel meet but still went on to win national title


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TEXAS MEN, STANFORD WOMEN TOP SEASON-OPENING CSCAA DUAL MEET POLLS

On the women's side, Stanford is the clear-cut number one, leading Cal by 14 points.

The men's rankings are much closer, with Texas sitting just four points ahead of Cal. That mirrors what we saw in our own preseason Power Rankings, where Texas received 3 of 5 first-place votes, but Cal took the other two.

DIVISION I WOMEN
Rank | Team | Points
1 | Stanford | 300
2 | California | 286
3 | Michigan | 272
4 | Texas | 262
5 | Texas A&M | 250
6 | Indiana | 233
7 | Georgia | 222
8 | Louisville | 218
9 | Tennessee | 195
10 | Virginia | 188
11 | NC State | 183
11 | Southern California | 183

DIVISION I MEN
Rank | Team | Points
1 | Texas | 296
2 | California | 292
3 | Indiana | 273
4 | NC State | 258
5 | Stanford | 255
6 | Michigan | 232
7 | Southern California | 217
8 | Florida | 205
9 | Georgia | 191
10 | Texas A&M | 184
11 | Louisville | 181
12 | Tennessee | 155
13 | Arizona | 151
14 | Arizona State | 145


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NCAA SEASON RAMP UP: WHICH MEETS TO PAY ATTENTION TO THIS WEEK

CAL V. UTAH

• Date 10/10
• Hosts Cal

Why you should pay attention: Cal is the #2 team in the country on both the men's and women's sides. For their women, keep an eye on the backstroke, where All-American Amy Bilquist and highly-touted freshman Alex Sumner have yet to make a competitive splash for the bears. Andrew Seliskar had his breakout LCM summer and could impress in a range of events, and we'll see what Reece Whitley can do after a very impressive NCAA debut last week.


STANFORD (W) V. WASHINGTON STATE

• Date 10/12
• Hosts Washington State

Why you should pay attention: Stanford's women were a bit sluggish against Utah today, but that doesn't take away from fantastic outings from Ella Eastin and freshman Amalie Fackenthal (and they still dusted the Utes). We'll see if they're a bit more on their game against the Cougars, but in any case, this is the #1 team in the country, so of course you should be paying attention.


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I made it to the meet! First interesting note is that they changed the side of the pool where the competition occurs. Now it's right in front of the big stand. Also, the stands have these new plastic seats, so you are not directly on the bleachers. Definitely a better fan experience!

Alexa S-K and Alex S in street clothes, working the apparel booth.

Chenoa also in street clothes sitting behind me and in the stands.

Reece towers over everyone! Hahaha!

Interesting, Ema seems to be running with the A squad.

Poor Robin. She gets stuck doing the 1000 Free. Don't worry Robin, distance reinforcements coming in next year.

Dang, I wish I had worn my contact lens! I can't recognize anyone. Hahaha!

Dang, Robin wins the 200 Free after just winning the 1000 Free 10 minutes ago.

Amy wins the 100 Back! And those who were wondering about Sophie K-Z, she is swimming.

100 Breast. 1. Abbey 2. Ema and Ali finishes 6th.

Reece wins on the men's side.

tedbear said:

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Amy wins the 100 Back! And those who were wondering about Sophie K-Z, she is swimming.

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Good to see Amy swimming again!

Cassidy wins the 200 Fly. That was a a super great sign for the future.

Seliskar wins on the men's side.

50 Free. 1. Abbey 2. Katie 3. Maddie. Our 200 MR is going to be crazy good.

Men, 1. Jensen 2. Hoffer

100 Free 1. Katie 2. Elise 3. Keeks

Here's an interesting result. Alicia Wilson wins the 200 Back.

Utah sweeps the 200 Breast. Ouch!

Noice live reporting skillz, tedbear!

So chuffed to have your smashing updates - esp since the only official ones are pretty sparse thus far lol, i.e.

• UPDATE => RESULTS

WSWIM | 10/10/2018 7:28 PM | By: Cal Athletics

Weitzeil Leads Bears Over Utah In Home Opener

Junior Captures Three Individual Events, Anchors Winning Relay


BERKELEY - Cal opened its dual-meet season Wednesday evening with a comfortable win over Utah, as the Golden Bears won 14 of 16 events at Spieker Aquatics Complex to complete a 184.5-111.5 final result.

Junior Abbey Weitzeil earned three individual victories by taking the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:01.92, the 50 freestyle in 22.28 and the 500 free in 4:54.66. She capped off her day by anchoring Cal's 400 free relay to a winning time of 3:22.69.

The co-ed contest also served as the home opener for the Bears, who had two meets on the road to begin the year, and a trio of freshmen competing at Spieker for the first time picked up victories. Cassidy Bayer prevailed in the 200 butterfly in 1:59.00, Alicia Wilson came back a short time later to win the 200 backstroke in 1:58.08, and Elise Garcia won the 100 fly in 54.50. Freshman Ema Rajic also swam a leg on two victorious relays.

"I've been watching Cal swimming for about five years now, so to be able to represent the school is something that I've dreamed about," Bayer said.

Sophomore Robin Neumann pulled off a difficult double for the Bears, first swimming 10:03.58 to earn the victory in the 1000 free. After a short break for the men's 1000 free, she was right back in the water for the 200 free and touched first in 1:48.36.

Sophomore Briana Thai also claimed her two diving events, taking the 3-meter springboard with a score of 312.38 and the 1-meter with 286.28.

Other winners for the Bears were Amy Bilquist in the 100 back, Katie McLaughlin in the 100 free and the opening 200 medley relay.

Cal returns to action Nov. 3 at Washington State and the Bears' next home meet is Nov. 10 vs. Texas.

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MCLAUGHLIN DROPS 48.7 100 FREE AS CAL MEN & WOMEN SWEEP UTAH


Katie McLaughlin set a new PB in the 50 free and won the 100 free in 48.7 as the Cal women won their first dual of the season against Utah. Archive photo via Tim Binning/TheSwimPictures.com


The Utah Utes headed over to Berkeley on Wednesday to face Cal after opening their dual meet season at Stanford on Tuesday, and it was another tough outing against two of the best teams in the country as the Golden Bear men and women both won in decisive fashion.

The Cal women won by a score of 184.5-111.5, while the men defeated the Utes 191-100.


WOMEN'S MEET

Abbey Weitzeil had a standout performance for the Bears as she led all swimmers with three individual event wins. Weitzeil won her speciality, the 50 freestyle, in 22.28 over teammate Katie McLaughlin, who set a personal best time in 22.71. Weitzeil then branched out to two events she rarely competes in, impressively taking the 100 breast (1:01.92) and 500 free (4:54.66).

In addition to her PB in the 50 free, McLaughlin also had a win of her own in the 100 free, where she clocked in at 48.79 to fall less than four-tenths off of her personal best (48.40) from the 2017 Pac-12s.

Along with Weitzeil, freestyler Robin Neumann and diver Briana Thai also won multiple events, with Neumann claiming the 1000 free (10:03.58) and 200 free (1:48.36) back-to-back and Thai winning both the 1-meter and 3-meter.

The Bears also had three freshman earn victories, with Cassidy Bayer winning the 200 fly in 1:59.00, Alicia Wilson taking the 200 back in 1:58.08, and Elise Garcia touching first in the 100 fly in 54.50. Amy Bilquist also had a win of her own in the 100 back (53.78).

The Utes had two wins, with Genny Robertson leading 1-2-3 finish in the 200 breast in 2:15.39 and Jordan Anderson winning the 400 IM in 4:21.85.

In the relays, McLaughlin's 23.71 fly split led Cal to the victory in the 200 medley in 1:41.36, while both McLaughlin (48.92) and Weitzeil (48.94) were stellar in the 400 free relay as the Bears clocked 3:22.49.


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https://instagr.am/p/Boxw8ebBbHu

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Loved the new seating & upgrades including the readable & clear results scoreboard. No need for us old timers now to strain to read against the sun's reflections. Yes breaststroke still remains a problem and hope Ema Rajic swims well enough to take the some of the burden off of Abbey in the relays. Think we have the making of a fantastic 400 free relay with the resurgent McLauglin, Abbey, Amy & many to choose from for the 4th spot. Excited to see the newcomers like Bayer, Wiilson, Ema, Garcia and hopefully Sumner.

Saw Farida Osman in house. Besides Lynch and Murphy swimming an exhibition any other sightings of other former Bears? Any local recruits?