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Cal World Championship Qualifier Lea Polonsky Enters Transfer Portal

Lea Polonsky, a second-team individual all-American and Israeli World Championship qualifier, has entered the transfer portal after her freshman season at Cal. She is the seventh Cal underclass swimmer to go into the transfer portal this year, and the sixth women’s swimmer to do so.

NOTE: A swimmer being in the transfer portal does not mean that they HAVE to transfer to another school, it only means that they have opened up communication with different schools and coaches.

In her first season with Cal, Polonsky set most of her best times at the 2022 Pac-12 Championships. There, she finished seventh in the 200 breast (2:09.93), fourth in the 200 IM (1:55.10), and second in the 400 IM (4:03.90). At NCAAs, she added in two of her individual events, finishing 49th in the 200 breast prelims (2:13.45), and 13th in the B-finals of the 400 IM (4:06.82). She set a best time of 1:54.77 in the prelims of the 200 IM, before finishing 12th in the B-finals with a 1:55.13. In addition, she also helped Cal finish seventh in the 200 medley relay with a 26.36 breaststroke split and third in the 800 free relay with a 1:43.21 anchor at NCAAs.

Polonsky is set to compete for Israel at the upcoming 2022 FINA World Championships in the 200 fly, 200 IM, and 400 IM. Her brother, Ron Polonsky, will also be at Worlds with her. Ron just finished up his own freshman season at the nearby Stanford University, which could be a potential landing spot for Lea if she decides to transfer.

The recent transfer portal entries of Polonsky, Ayla Spitz, and Isabelle Stadden come after Cal women’s head coach Teri McKeever was put 0n administrative leave following allegations of verbal abuse. Assistant coach Jesse Moore was recently named as the acting head coach in place of McKeever.

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Jessie
2 years ago

No one can blame any of these women for getting out of there. This mishandled mess will leave a lasting stain on the program and university.

Buba tea
2 years ago

Just hope they all get out of that, such a sad situation when swimmer’s dream school becomes a place they want to leave.
Hope she’ll find a place when she fill confident and enjoy her journey

Marklewis
2 years ago

Can’t blame any of the swimmers from moving on from this catastrophic situation.

Too much uncertainty and drama. College is for learning and having some great experiences as a student and athlete.

Good luck to Lea. I’m sure there is a program that could use her versatility to score in multiple events.

Last edited 2 years ago by Marklewis
Chachi
2 years ago

Last one out, please turn off the lights.

Swim fan
2 years ago

They need someone in there to stop the bleeding before the team is totally gone. Put a Marsh in there in the meantime while the investigation and coach search takes place. Someone to give the swimmers some confidence.

Long Longhorn
Reply to  Swim fan
2 years ago

Yes, stop the bleeding. At least till after Summer Nationals. Get a Coach that has and can coach World Class talent. If you don’t like Marsh, ask Randy Reese or Kim Brackin to step in for a month.

ElmerFudd
Reply to  Long Longhorn
2 years ago

Randy Reese would be perfect for those gals. Bring Richard Quick back from the grave to join him, and you got a championship duo!

Christine Breedy
Reply to  ElmerFudd
2 years ago

This is not a joke and RR is not the answer. Be vewy vewy careful Elmer and don’t speculate unless you understand the ramifications of your recommendations for the ‘gals’

ArtVanDeLegh10
Reply to  Swim fan
2 years ago

I don’t think NCAA rules will allow them to pay another swim coach. Single genders programs can have 3 paid coaches. Usually it’s a head swimming, asst swimming, and head diving. Until Teri resigns or is fired, she’s still on the staff being paid. So as far as I know Cal can’t just bring someone in and ask them to coach unless they don’t pay them or they pay them but pay them for a job outside the swim/dive program.

Steve Nolan
Reply to  Braden Keith
2 years ago

You mean coaches don’t love temporary, nearly no-win situations??

swimmer
Reply to  Braden Keith
2 years ago

Braden can you have any sort of sympathy for the poor girls?? You do know they read the comments too and you constantly saying negative things when they are just trying to stand on their own two feet right now is astounding.

swimapologist
Reply to  swimmer
2 years ago

How does lying help the situation? The fact that they think they should turn to the swimswam comments for comfort just further emphasizes how much of a failure there is here by the cal admin, their parents, and all of the other adults whose job it is to help them through this.

“okay David Marsh should do it.” All the problems are solved now, right? Because the swimswam commentariat said David Marsh should take the role on? He’s not going to, but we said he should, so now everyone is healed. Hip-hip, horray!

please & thank you
Reply to  Braden Keith
2 years ago

Not trying to be contrary, because you’d certainly know better than me. But in my experience, we are not short on people with egos large enough to convince themselves that they alone can fix it.

Klorn8d
2 years ago

Thinking especially of polonsky and stadden, who at anywhere that isn’t uva or Stanford are pretty automatic full rides or very close to it normally, this is a hard position. I’m sure every school has no money left over for next year Either they wait it out at cal a year which sounds bad, they have to pay their own way for a year, or maybe a school gets creative and has enough money for a second semester add or something. Just sucks they have to try to transfer so late in the game

GMD
Reply to  Klorn8d
2 years ago

Or perhaps their academic credentials are sufficient to earn an academic scholarship

anonymous
Reply to  GMD
2 years ago

Other than an Ivy League school that doesn’t have “scholarships”, I’m pretty sure most, if not all, academic scholarships are already distributed at schools. Most schools had a due date of 6/1.

Taa
Reply to  anonymous
2 years ago

Stanford has financial needs based money if your parents make under 150 and uSC it’s a lower number maybe 80k or so.

DMSWIM
Reply to  Taa
2 years ago

I would venture to guess that most families that have paid for their child to swim competitively up to the college level make more than 80k a year.

Swim fan 69
Reply to  DMSWIM
2 years ago

I disagree with this… personally I swim at the D1 level and it took a village to raise this child. My parents didn’t make much money… sometimes we’re out of work ect….My whole family pitched in. If I didn’t receive a full ride, I wouldn’t have probably gone to college at all and did blue collar work. Not everyone who got to this level can afford it on their own…. Swimming is not cheap.

Taa
Reply to  DMSWIM
2 years ago

Maybe but there are also a lot of self employed people and their income reported on tax returns ends to skew toward the low side of what you would expect. Take a team of 30 swimmers and I’m sure 5-10 of them might qualify and then add your athletic scholarships on top and you have 2/3 of the team covered

oxyswim
Reply to  Taa
2 years ago

Doesn’t hold true for international students.

GMD
Reply to  anonymous
2 years ago

Not always true about academic scholarships. Money sometimes opens up when other students decide not to attend at the last minute.

DMSWIM
Reply to  GMD
2 years ago

It’s my understanding that there aren’t a ton of academic scholarships out there for transfer students. The point of scholarships is to attract top students for 4 years and boost their student statistics (ex, average SAT, high school GPA).

GMD
Reply to  DMSWIM
2 years ago

Universities have more flexibility for academic vs athletic scholarships. They often are motivated by the credentials of the prospective student. Their stated deadlines allow them to plan fully allocate scholarships … but scholarships often can be reassigned if someone is a no show. The situation is different for grad students who seek fellowships vs undergrad who seek scholarships.

Team Chlorine
Reply to  GMD
2 years ago

Not much academic scholarship out there for transfers in general

Former Big10
Reply to  Klorn8d
2 years ago

I’m super biased, but these ladies could go anywhere in the Big10… MN/Mich have good connections with Israel. Also close to home for Stadden, but both would do really well at Florida/Georgia, too.

Hannah
Reply to  Former Big10
2 years ago

Indiana also has an current Israeli swimmer (Frankel)

Taa
Reply to  Klorn8d
2 years ago

Not many west coast options. Stanford and USC then it falls off pretty quick. Sad these swimmers should have more/better choices.

Jewelindapool
Reply to  Klorn8d
2 years ago

Because of this situation pretty sure their scholarships are guaranteed.

Former Big10
2 years ago

Stanford is already so stacked, $$$ may be an issue. Hope she finds a good fit!

bobthebuilderrocks
2 years ago

Dude, Cal is literally going to be starting from 0.

Erik
Reply to  bobthebuilderrocks
2 years ago

Only way to go is up? : /

BigCarotTop
Reply to  bobthebuilderrocks
2 years ago

from problems comes opportunities

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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