Courtesy: Cal Athletics
The Cal women’s swimming & diving team opens up Pac-12 Conference competition this week, hosting Utah on Wednesday before visiting Washington State on Saturday.
The Bears have been one of the conference’s dominant programs for several years. Cal has lost just five Pac-12 dual meets since the 2016-17 season.
The Bears are off to a strong start to the 2022-23 season. They dominated Cal Poly in their season-opener last month, taking top marks in all five events that were competed and junior Isabelle Stadden being named Queen of the Pool. Cal then won every event except one at last week’s Chick-Fil-A Invitational at Fresno State.
STADDEN NAMED QUEEN OF THE POOL: Junior Isabelle Stadden was named Queen of the Pool at the Bears’ season-opener at Cal Poly last month. Stadden’s combined time of 4:39.05 was the best among all swimmers over five 100-yard events – the freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke and individual medley. It was also the second-lowest ever for a Cal swimmer at the event. Stadden is coming off an impressive summer in which she won the national title in the 200 back at the Phillips 66 National Championships in July while also capturing the bronze medal in the 100 back. Stadden was also named to the U.S. National Team in both the 100 and 200 backstroke events
CHICK-FIL-A INVITATIONAL RECAP: Senior Ayla Spitz and sophomore Mia Kragh each set pool records during the Bears’ dominating effort at the Chick-Fil-A Invitational last week at the Fresno State Aquatics Center. Spitz set a facility standard by swimming the 500 freestyle in a time of 4:49.86, besting the previous mark by former Golden Bear Elizabeth Pelton in 2012. Kragh’s time of 53.11 in the 100 butterfly broke the pool record held by another former Golden Bear, Noemi Thomas. Spitz also won the 200 freestyle while Isabelle Stadden captured the 100 backstroke and 200 individual medley. Sophomores Leah Polonsky (400 individual medley) and Alicia Henry (100 breaststroke) also won races for the Bears.
POLONSKY’S IMPACT: Sophomore Leah Polonsky didn’t waste any time making an impact on Cal’s women’s swimming & diving program last year as a freshman. By the end of the season, she had etched her name in the all-time top-10 in four different events in Cal history. Polonsky’s time of 4:03.90 in the 400 individual medley is the third-best all-time by a Golden Bear, and she is No. 6 in both the 100 breaststroke (1:00.23) and 200 breaststroke (2:09.93). Polonsky also has the ninth-best all-time mark at Cal in the 200 individual medley at 1:54.77.
SCHOLARLY SWIMMERS: The Bears have been named a CSCAA Scholar All-America Team for 25 straight semesters. 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.