Courtesy: Cal Athletics
AT FRESNO STATE AQUATICS CENTER | FRESNO, CALIF.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL PAGE | LIVE STREAMS
SATURDAY, JAN. 20
NO. 4 CAL VS NO. 11 UC DAVIS | 11 AM PT
*At Clovis North HS
LIVE STATS
NO. 4 CAL VS NO. 5 UC IRVINE | 4:30 PM PT
LIVE STATS
SUNDAY, JAN. 21
NO. 4 CAL VS NO. 13 MICHIGAN | 8 AM PT
LIVE STATS
NO. 4 CAL VS. NO. 5 HAWAII | 3 PM PT (EXHIBITION)
The No. 4 California women’s water polo team returns to the pool this weekend, opening the 2024 season at the Fresno State Polo-Palooza. A perennial national powerhouse, the Golden Bears begin the year with a top-4 national ranking (ACWPC) for the 14th consecutive year. Despite losing two of its three ACWPC All-Americans from 2023, Cal brings back reigning MPSF saves leader and Cutino Award Watch List member Isabel Williams for her fifth season. Also back in the lineup are All-MPSF honoree Maryn Dempsey – the Bears’ leading returning goalscorer – and defenders Mallory Reynoso and Rozanne Voorvelt, all of whom played a key role in getting Cal to its fifth NCAA Tournament in six tries in 2023. Along with a strong batch of newcomers that includes two-time All-American and UC Irvine transfer Elena Flynn, the Bears will look to start strong with three outings against the top-13 teams and an exhibition with No. 5 Hawaii to begin the year.
BEAR NECESSITIES
2023 REWIND
After beginning the 2023 season with a 15-4 record, Cal went on to advance to its fifth NCAA Championship in the last six non-COVID years and finished at 19-10 overall. Highlights included a thrilling 11-10 overtime win against No. 5 Hawaii that helped get the Bears into the Barbara Kalbus Invitational third-place game, which saw them take down No. 3 UCLA 9-7. Cal later defeated UCLA 12-11 in the MPSF Championships Third-Place Game behind four goals from graduated senior Cecily Turner and a late game-winner by Claire Rowell. Williams finished with a huge 14 saves in both wins over the Bruins. Turner and Ruby Swadling ended the year with team-highs of 47 and 45 goals, respectively. Williams set a career best with an MPSF-leading 266 saves.
BACK IN THE CAGE
Williams continued to build on her Cal legacy in 2023, becoming the first Bear goalkeeper to earn multiple All-MPSF First Team selections, being one of 20 players named to the prestigious Cutino Award Watch List, and earning her second straight All-America nod. She led the MPSF in both saves (266) and steals (54), highlighted by a pair of 14-save winning efforts over UCLA. Williams – who has also spent time training with Team USA – enters her fifth season ranked No. 5 all-time in career saves at Cal with 559.
THE RETURNERS
The Bears will be without each of their top two goalscorers from 2023, and for different reasons. Turner graduated following a career-best 47-goal senior year, while Swadling – who scored 45 goals and competed for Team Australia at the 2023 FINA World Aquatics Championships – is taking the 2024 season off to focus on training for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Dempsey (34 goals) is the team’s leading returning goalscorer, who is coming off a year in which she earned her second career All-MPSF accolade. Other notable returners include Rozanne Voorvelt (31 goals) – who helped The Netherlands take bronze at the 2022 FINA World Championship – Reagan Whitney (23), Janna Tauscher (20), Maddie DeMattia (13), and last year’s freshman standouts Abbi Magee (17) and Claire Rowell (16). DeMattia ended her junior campaign with 62 earned exclusions, good for second in the MPSF. Rowell was an All-MPSF Newcomer Team selection.
NOTABLE NEWCOMERS
The Bears bolstered their offense with the addition of two-time All-American attacker Elena Flynn, who transferred from UC Irvine following a stellar sophomore season. In 2023, Flynn led the Anteaters with 57 goals, earning All-Big West First Team, All-America Second Team and NCAA All-Tournament Second Team honors. Cal also added seven freshmen, including USA Youth National Team member Julia Bonaguidi (The Bishop’s School/San Diego), USA Cadet Women’s Kate Meyer (San Marcos/Santa Barbara) and Team Netherlands player Feline Voordouw (Sint Joris College/Neede, Gelderland).
HALL OF FAME COACHING STAFF
Cal head coach Coralie Simmons and associate head coach Heather Petri both received significant milestone recognition in 2023. Simmons – one of the great trailblazers of the women’s water polo world who earned two NCAA Player of the Year awards and won three NCAA Championships and an Olympic silver medal with Team USA – was one of five members in the 39th induction class of the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame. Her 112 wins at Cal rank second in program history. Petri – the only four-time female Olympian in Cal Athletics history – was named to the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Joining them on the staff for the third straight year is assistant coach Lance Morrison, who played Division I water polo at Pacific.
BRAINY BEARS
Cal’s excelled in the classroom once again in 2023, being recognized for the largest increase in cumulative GPA (7.1%) of any Bear program. 17 players earned ACWPC All-Academic recognition, with a program record six Bears garnering outstanding status for averaging above a 3.70 GPA. Another all-time best was set with 15 Bears earning MPSF All-Academic honors.