Courtesy: Cal Athletics
BERKELEY – Cal’s women’s swimming & diving team will open its 2021-22 season at the Queen of the Pool meet at Cal Poly this weekend and will host six meets at Spieker Aquatics Complex, beginning with a visit from Virginia on Friday, Oct. 15.
The Golden Bears get their year underway on Friday with what has become a traditional start at Cal Poly. The unique competition features swimmers competing in five 100-yard races – back, breast, fly, free and individual medley – and the person with the lowest combined time is declared the Queen of the Pool. This year’s event marks the 11th year the schools have met for the title.
Two weeks later, Cal heads to Fresno for the Chick-Fil-A Invitational Oct. 8-9. The Bears then welcome Virginia to Berkeley for an evening men’s and women’s meet beginning at 5 p.m. on Oct. 15. Virginia captured the 2021 NCAA title, while Cal – a four-time NCAA champion – placed fourth at the national meet for its 15th consecutive top-5 finish.
The Bears next take to the road for a dual meet at Utah Nov. 5 before flying to Minneapolis for the Minnesota Invitational Dec. 1-4. Cal closes out the calendar year with a dual against UC San Diego on Saturday, Dec. 18 in Berkeley.
January brings the Pac-12 season, starting with home meets against Arizona on Jan. 21 and Arizona State on Jan. 22. A visit to Los Angeles a week later includes competitions at USC on Jan. 28 and at UCLA on Jan. 29. Cal’s final dual meet will be on Saturday, Feb. 12 in Berkeley vs. Stanford with the first race beginning at 12 noon.
The Bears will aim to defend their conference title at the Pac-12 Championships Feb. 23-26 in Federal Way, Washington, and the NCAA meet concludes the season March 16-19 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Admission to all home meets at Spieker Aquatics Complex is free. Under current state and local public health guidelines, fans are strongly encouraged to wear facial coverings in crowded outdoor areas when in attendance at home events this season. Facial coverings are required at all times in indoor spaces (such as restrooms) for guests ages 2 and up regardless of vaccination status, unless actively eating or drinking. Masks will be available at the entrance for fans upon request.