NO. 18 USC AT NO. 10 CAL
FRIDAY, JAN. 17 | 1 P.M. PT | SPIEKER AQUATICS COMPLEX | BERKELEY, CALIF.
LIVE STREAM: ACC NETWORK EXTRA | LIVE RESULTS: MEET MOBILE
NO. 24 AT NO. 10 CAL
SATURDAY, JAN. 18 | 11 A.M. PT | SPIEKER AQUATICS COMPLEX | BERKELEY, CALIF.
LIVE STREAM: ACC NETWORK EXTRA | LIVE RESULTS: MEET MOBILE
The No. 10 California women’s swimming & diving team returns to competition after a lengthy winter break to host its only two home dual meets of the season this week at Spieker Aquatics Complex. The Golden Bears will take part in a combined meet with Cal’s men’s team Friday against No. 10 USC followed by a women’s-only affair Saturday against No. 24 UCLA. Cal will honor its 18 seniors/graduate students before Saturday’s meet.
SENIOR SENDOFF: The Bears have 14 seniors and four graduate students on this season’s roster, and they will be competing in their final home meet Saturday against UCLA. The group will leave quite a legacy in Berkeley. Among their accomplishments are:
- 40 All-American nods
- 19 individual/relay conference titles
- 20 conference all-academic honors
- 11 Olympic trials appearances
- 15 Scholar All-Americans
- 3 Spieker Pool records
- 2 Olympic appearances
MIDWEST MOMENTUM: Cal displayed depth and speed at the Minnesota Invitational in December, sending a message it can compete with the top programs in the country at this season’s NCAA Championships. The Golden Bears recorded a pair of NCAA A-cut times (Mary-Ambre Moluh, 100-yard backstroke, 49.68; Leah Polonsky, 200 individual medley, 1:53.65) and an additional 28 NCAA provisional B-cut times. Cal also registered 12 times that rank among the nation’s top 10 this season as well as 12 marks that rank among the program’s all-time top 10.
TOP TIMES: Cal has 12 times that rank among the nation’s top 10 this season, including a pair each by freshman Mary-Ambre Moluh and fifth-year senior Isabelle Stadden. Moluh broke the school record in the 100 backstroke at the Minnesota Invitational with a time of 49.68, which is the third-best mark in the country this season in the event. Stadden has the sixth-best time in the 100 back (50.41), an event she finished as the national runner-up in at last season’s NCAA meet. Moluh also has the nation’s No. 6 time in the 50 freestyle (21.68) while Stadden ranks 10th in the 200 back (1:50.93). All five of Cal’s relay teams rank in the top 10 nationally this season, including a No. 3 spot for its 200 medley relay performance (1:34.24). Below is a complete list of the Bears’ national top-10 times this season:
- 50 freestyle – No. 6: Mary-Ambre Moluh (21.68)
- 1,650 freestyle – No. 6: Maya Geringer (15:53.92)
- 100 backstroke – No. 3: Mary-Ambre Moluh (49.68*)
- 100 backstroke – No. 6: Isabelle Stadden (50.41)
- 200 individual medley – No. 5: Leah Polonsky (1:53.65**)
- 200 freestyle relay – No. 10: Mia West, Isabelle Stadden, Mary-Ambre Moluh, McKenna Stone (1:27.54)
- 400 freestyle relay – No. 6: Mary-Ambre Moluh, Isabelle Stadden, Leah Polonsky, Morgan Brophy (3:11.76)
- 800 freestyle relay – No. 5: Ava Chavez, Mia West, Isabelle Stadden, Leah Polonsky (6:59.13)
- 200 medley relay – No. 3: Isabelle Stadden, Leah Polonsky, Mia Kragh, Mary-Ambre Moluh (1:34.24)
- 400 medley relay – No. 8: Isabelle Stadden, Leah Polonsky, Lilou Ressencourt, Mary-Ambre Moluh (3:29.60)
*-school record
**-NCAA A-cut time
MARY MADNESS: Freshman Mary-Ambre Moluh has already made a profound impact on Cal’s program in her short time so far on campus. At last month’s Minnesota Invitational, she broke the school record in the 100 backstroke with a time of 49.68. She also reeled off a 21.68 in the 100 freestyle – the fifth-best time ever in the event at Cal. Moluh also helped four of the Bears’ relay times earn NCAA provisional B-cut times. Moluh swam for her native France at the 2024 Summer Olympics. As a result of her performance in Minneapolis, Moluh was named the ACC Women’s Swimmer of the Week.
MAYA, OH MY: Maya Geringer, a graduate transfer from Ohio State, has given Cal an immediate boost in the distance freestyle events. Geringer, a four-time All-American in the 1,650 free and a 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier in three events, swam the second-fastest times ever at Cal in both the 1,000 free (9:38.85) and 1,650 free (15:53.92) at the Minnesota Invitational.
STADDEN NAMED 2024 PAC-12 SWIMMER OF THE YEAR: Isabelle Stadden became the 11th Golden Bear to be named Pac-12 Swimmer of the Year in 2024, winning two individual conference titles and adding a third as part of a relay. Stadden captured her third career crown in the 200 back while winning her first in the 100 back. She also swam the backstroke leg on Cal’s Pac-12 winning 200 medley relay team. Stadden helped the Bears compile a 7-1 dual meet record (5-1 Pac-12) and a final national dual meet ranking of No. 4 while also setting Spieker Aquatics Complex records in both individual backstroke events.
DIVERS MAKE SPLASH: Freshman Rebecca Ciancaglini became the first diver in program history to compete at the World Junior Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last fall. Ciancaglini advanced to the finals of the 1-meter dive before ultimately placing 11th. She finished 21st in the 3-meter event. Fellow freshman Violet Williamson was named to USA Diving’s Senior High Performance Team last fall.
BEARS INK GENERATIONAL RECRUITING CLASS: Cal director of swimming & diving David Durden announced the addition of seven student-athletes to the program, including four of the nation’s top 10 prospects. Teagan O’Dell of Chino Hills (No. 2 national recruit according to SwimSwam), No. 3 Claire Weinstein of White Plains, New York (No. 3, 2024 Summer Olympian), Annie Jia of Horsham, Pennsylvania (No. 8), and Elle Scott of Charlotte, North Carolina (No. 9), all signed to join the team for 2025-26 while Ella Cosgrove of Tucson, Arizona (No. 19), Alexa McDevitt of Bainbridge Island, Washington (honorable mention), and Gracyn Aquino of Santa Margarita (California state champion) are also headed to Berkeley.
2023-24 REDUX: The Bears finished last season at No. 4 in the CSCAA dual meet rankings and won the sixth Pac-12 championship in program history. Isabelle Stadden captured her third conference title in the 200 backstroke and added the 100 back crown to her resume while senior Mia Kragh captured the 100 butterfly championship and now-alumna Rachel Klinker took the honors in the 200 butterfly. Cal finished 11th as a team at the 2024 NCAA Championships, including A-final appearances by Stadden in the 100 back (2nd) and 200 back (4th), Klinker in the 200 fly (3rd) and Kragh in the 100 fly (8th). The Bears also took fourth in the 200 medley relay.
WELCOME TO THE ACC: The University of California, Berkeley, announced it was moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) on Sept. 1, 2023, and became an official member on Aug. 2 of this year. Cal’s women’s swimming & diving team will not play a round-robin season against ACC opponents but will compete at the ACC Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, in February.
NINE MAKE PARIS:
KRAGH’S LIST: Senior Mia Kragh had a breakout season in 2023-24, winning the Pac-12 title in the 100 butterfly and making the A-final in the event at the NCAA Championships and finishing eighth. Kragh now has the eighth-fastest time ever at Cal in the 100 fly at 50.89 and also holds the Spieker Aquatics Complex record in the event (51.30).
TALENT INFUSION: Fourteen of the 36 student-athletes on Cal’s roster are new Golden Bears this season, a recruiting class that is ranked No. 7 nationally by SwimSwam. Leading the way are a pair of 2024 Summer Olympians in freshman Mary-Ambre Moluh and graduate student Lilou Ressencourt, each of whom has long-course times that could convert to point-scoring at the NCAA Championships. Graduate transfers Maya Geringer (Ohio State) and Margaux McDonald (Princeton) each has NCAA Championships experience.
STAY POSTED
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