Courtesy: Cal Athletics
SATURDAY, FEB. 11
CAL AT STANFORD | 12 P.M. PT | AVERY AQUATIC CENTER | STANFORD, CALIF.
LIVE STREAM: CALBEARS.COM
The Cal women’s swimming & diving team closes out the regular season Saturday with a rivalry dual meet at Stanford. The first race commences at Noon.
The Bears take momentum into the final dual of the season, having notched quality dual meet victories over USC and UCLA two weeks ago in Berkeley. Cal is 7-1 in dual meets this season, including a 5-1 mark in Pac-12 matchups.
Cal set its best two marks this season in the 1,000-yard freestyle event against the Trojans. Sophomore Fanni Fabian recorded Cal’s top time with a mark of 9:59.67 with teammate Sarah DiMeco recorded the second-best time among Bears this year at 10:07.21.
Cal has nine top-10 marks nationally this season, with junior Isabelle Stadden ranking third in the 200 backstroke at 1:50.21 and fifth in the 100 backstroke at 50.81. Sophomore Leah Polonsky is 10th in both the 200 individual medley (1:55.16) and 400 individual medley (4:08.91) while senior Rachel Klinker is sixth in the 500 freestyle (4:40.30) and 10th in the 200 butterfly with a mark of 1:54.44. Senior Ayla Spitz is eighth in the 500 freestyle at 4:40.47,
The Bears also have the third-best time nationally this season in the 800 freestyle relay, with Polonsky, senior Ayla Spitz, Stadden and senior Mia Motekaitis recording a time of 7:02.04. Cal’s time of 3:30.96 in the 400 medley relay (Stadden, junior Jade Neser, Mia Kragh, Eloise Riley) is 10th in the country this season.
STADDEN’S SURGE: Junior Isabelle Stadden had an eventful summer in 2022, and her name has been at the forefront of college swimming this season. Stadden won the national championship in the 200 backstroke at the Phillips 66 National Championships in July and took third in the 100 backstroke as well. She was then named to the U.S. National Team in both events in September. Stadden has been a multiple winner in every meet the Bears have competed in this season and has the fourth-fastest time this season in the 100 back (50.81) and third-fastest in the 200 back (1:50.21). She also competed in both backstroke events at last month’s FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.
POLONSKY POWER: After making an immediate impact as a freshman last season by landing among Cal’s top 10 in four different events, Leah Polonsky has picked up where she left off this season. She ranks in the top 10 nationally in two different events – 200 individual medley (8th, 1:55.16) and 200 butterfly (10th, 1:54.50) – and is 11th in the 400 IM (4:08.91). Polonsky won the 400 IM at the Chick-Fil-A Invitational in October and the 200 butterfly in a dual meet against Utah.
FLY, RACHEL, FLY: Senior Rachel Klinker is one of the top butterfliers in program history, and her top mark this season of 1:54.44 in the 200 fly ranks No. 10 nationally. The 2021 Pac-12 champion in the 200 butterfly holds the third-fastest time in the event ever at Cal with a 1:52.19, set at last season’s NCAA Championships. Klinker also has the sixth-best time in the nation in the 500 freestyle this season at 4:40.30.
SPITZ SUCCESS: Senior Ayla Spitz has tasted victory several times this season, including a trio of wins at both the Chick-Fil-A Invitational and the Bears’ dual meet at Washington State. An NCAA qualifier in each of the past three seasons, Spitz set a pool record at the Chick-Fil-A Invitational at Fresno State in the 500 freestyle event with a time of 4:49.86 while also winning the 200 free and anchoring Cal’s winning 800 free relay team. Spitz won the 200 free at Washington State and anchored both of the Bears’ winning relay teams while also registering victories in the 100 back and 500 free at UCSD. Spitz has the eighth-fastest time this season in the 500 free at 4:40.47.
SCHOLARLY SWIMMERS: The CSCAA named the Bears a Scholar All-America Team last week for the 26th consecutive semester. Last season, Cal had 14 student-athletes earn spots on the CSCAA Scholar All-America Team – 11 earned First Team accolades and three more were tabbed for the Second Team. Student-athletes who earned at least a 3.5 grade point average and participated at their national championship were named to the First Team. Those who had a 3.5 GPA and achieved a “B” time standard for their national championship or participated at a diving zone qualification meet were named to the Second Team.
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update on this momentum?