Mission ACComplished

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The No. 3 California men's swimming & diving team introduced itself to ACC country this week in Greensboro, N.C., letting the folks in the Eastern time zone know what was already common knowledge elsewhere – the Golden Bears swim fast no matter where the pool is located.

Cal displayed its dominance in its first ACC Championship ever, winning the conference title going away after a dominant final night of swimming at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. It's the first ACC team championship for Cal in any sport.

The Bears won two more individual championships and the 400-yard freestyle relay to finish with 1,271.5 points, easily outdistancing fellow ACC newcomer Stanford, which was the runner-up with 1,065 points.

"It's the first one for us, and you're always going to remember your first championship in a new conference," Cal director of swimming & diving David Durden told the ACC Network. "We'll sit back and enjoy this. It's a great team. It was a total team effort, and we're super happy to be affiliated with the ACC."

The Bears won three individual championships and three relay titles during the meet, setting three meet records and two conference standards in the process. It's Cal's 10th all-time conference title and first in the ACC.

Senior Gabriel Jett got the party started Saturday, setting an ACC record in winning the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:37.19 – the fourth-fastest time ever at Cal. Jack Alexy picked up a win in the 100 freestyle.

The Bears also got a runner-up finish from freshman Yamato Okadome in the 200 breast and graduate student Lucas Henveaux finished third in the mile swim.

Cal will now turn its attention to next month's 2025 NCAA Championships in Federal Way, Wash., where the Bears will attempt to win their fourth national championship in the past five years. Cal has finished first or second at NCAAs for 14 consecutive years.
 
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