Cal Athletics Spring Sports Weekly Roundup

Mens Swimming Defeats Stanford in Intense “Big Swim” Rivalry Showdown

In one of college athletics fiercest rivalries, the No. 3 Cal Men’s Swimming Team triumphed over No. 9 Stanford in the 127th annual “Big Swim” competition with a massive win of 175- 125. Lucas Henveaux led the team with record breaking performances in both the 1650 yard freestyle and the 500 yard freestyle. Henveaux set not only new pool records, but also marked the fastest times in those events in the country this season. 

Seniors Jack Alexy and Destin Lasco also each won two individual events; Alexy securing wins in the 50 and 100 yard freestyle, and Lasco dominating the 200 yard freestyle and 200 yard IM. Additionally, the Bears swept the relay events, including an impressive win in the 400 yard freestyle relay, clocking in at 2:47 for the fifth fastest time in the nation this season. 

Cal Men’s Swim and Diving will now turn their attention to the ACC Championships beginning on February 18 in Greensboro, NC 

Mens Tennis Dominates SoCal

Cal men's tennis made history with their first season sweep over USC and UCLA in Los Angeles. After defeating the No. 25 UCLA Bruins 4-2, the Bears continued the sweep and won 4-3 over the USC Trojans. Despite losing the doubles point, Timofey Stepanov clinched the win with a 6-0 third set against Volodymyr Iakubenko. Derrick Chen and Theo Dean also contributed with major wins. Head Coach Kris Kwinta praised the teams resilience as they found ways to overthrow the Los Angeles teams. Next, the Bears will host UC Davis on February 15 as they hope to continue this California sweep! 

Men's Lacrosse Shreds out of town UNR Wolfpack 

It was an explosive season opener for Cal men’s lacrosse as they dominated University of Nevada to start the season on a good note. The 15-8 victory showed a beautiful display by the Bears in their all around team effort. With locked in defense and explosive offense it exemplified why the Bears are ranked No. 14 going into this season. With a more than solid start to their season, the Bears look poised and ready to continue gaining momentum as they face tough competition in the coming weeks.

Cal Dance Team Makes History

The Cal Dance Team made its first ever appearance at the UDA Nationals stage in Orlando, Florida and marked a major milestone for the program. Competing in both D1A Jazz and Hip Hop categories, Cal's dance team made their first debut. While the results were not what they had necessarily hoped for, their competitiveness highlighted the growing recognition for spirit programs within Cal Athletics. 

Women’s Gymnastics Beats NC State in First ACC Road Meet 

The No. 7 California women’s gymnastics team took down No. 21 Wolfpack from NC State 197.175- 196.550. Senior, Mya Lauzon led the way for the bears by winning the all around with a 39.650, the top score in the ACC this season! Cal showed strong performances across the board, including a season high 9.95 on floor from Lauzon and a 9.95 on beam from Abbey Scanlon. The Bears had 14 podium finishes and hold No. 2 in the ACC standings.

Cal has been dominating the ACC Gymnast of the Week honors this season, with Mya Lauzon earning the honor twice and eMjae Frazier and Ella Cesario each taking the award home as well. Four wins in five weeks highlights the Bears’ strong start to the season. The women will go head to head against rival No. 13 Stanford at home in Haas Pavilion.

Rugby Dominates Arizona with a Shutout Victory 

No. 6 Cal men’s rugby recorded their third consecutive shutout with an aggressive 46- 0 win over No. 21 University of Arizona at home. Seven different players scored during the match with Cade Crist registering two, while Solomon Williams, Rand Santos, Max Threkeld, former Cal football DL Ieremiah Ieremiah, Jack Byszio, and Joe Kirsten also contributed to the shutout win with scores. The Bears were up 22-0 at the half and Cal finished strong with three more tries that included two conversions from Santos. 

In the reserve grade match, Cal defeated Arizona 71-0. The Bears will continue their homestand this Saturday against No. 14 UCLA at 1 pm on Witter Rugby Field.