BERKELEY - The Cal men's swimming team takes the blocks at Spieker Aquatics Complex for its final home dual meet of the 2016-17 season when the Bears welcome Stanford for a noon meet on Feb. 18.

Cal improved to 4-0 in dual meets this season when it earned a 177-109 victory over USC on Feb. 3 in Berkeley. The Bears won all but one race and got a big contribution from diver Connor Callahan, who won one event and placed second in another, to roll over the Trojans. That win came on the heels of dual meet victories at Arizona and Arizona State, performances which earned sophomore Andrew Seliskar the Pac-12 Swimmer of the Month award for January. Cal enters its final dual meet of the season ranked No. 2 by the CSCAA.

Stanford comes to Berkeley with the same 4-0 record the Bears have and with wins over the same four team as Cal. The No. 11-ranked Cardinal defeated USC 179-121 as freshman Grant Shoults set a pool record in the 500 free. Cal and Stanford have already met once this season, competing in their annual Triple Distance Meet with the Bears claiming four event wins as well as two relay victories.

LAST TIME OUT
A rainy day in the Bay Area didn't deter the Bears from swimming fast as Cal earned wins in all but one race and diver Connor Callahan won the 1-meter en route to a 177-109 victory. Sophomore Andrew Seliskar won three events, Ryan Murphy won two and the Bears claimed wins in both relays to cruise to victory.

SENIORS MAKE AN IMPACT
Cal fans will have one more chance to see a talented and incredibly impactful group of five seniors compete in Berkeley when they take the blocks against Stanford. The group of Hunter Cobleigh, Jonathan Fiepke, Long Gutierrez, Ryan Murphy and Dillon Williams helped the Bears earn a NCAA team title as freshmen in 2014 and have continued that level of excellence as Cal owns back-to-back second-place team finishes over the past two seasons. The quintet will be celebrated for an outstanding run of success before Saturday's meet.

MURPH'S LAST SWIM
Already one of Cal's most accomplished and impactful athletes on the international stage, Ryan Murphy will swim competitively at Spieker Aquatics Complex for the final time as an undergraduate Saturday against Stanford. On the heels of a 2016 Rio Olympics in which he won three gold medals and set the world record in the 100-meter backstroke, Murphy returned to Berkeley to finish his college career as a team leader this season. After Saturday's meet, the two-time reigning NCAA Swimmer of the Year will compete at the Pac-12 Championships and then transition to Indianapolis, Ind. as he seeks to finish a career sweep in both the 100 and 200-yard backstroke at the NCAA Championships.

DIVING IN
Freshman diver Connor Callahan continues to make an impact in his first season as a Golden Bear. After posting strong scores during Cal's trip to Arizona and Arizona State, the freshman from Cary, N.C. returned to Berkeley and picked up his first event win as a collegiate diver when he won the 1-meter competition against USC with a score of 321.08. He also placed second in the 3-meter, scoring valuable points for the Bears as they beat the Trojans 177-109.

ABOUT STANFORD

• The Cardinal make the trip to Berkeley with a 4-0 dual meet record and head coach Ted Knapp's squad owns wins over the same four teams that Cal does. Last time out, Stanford earned a 179-121 win over USC.
• Stanford is well-established as one of the nation's top teams when it comes to the distance freestyle as three Cardinal are ranked in the top-10 nationally. Freshman Grant Shoults ranks third, fellow frosh True Sweetser is fifth and junior Liam Egan is sixth. All three own a NCAA "A" qualifying time.
• Cal and Stanford met in the fall when the Bears traveled to Avery Aquatics Center to face the Cardinal in the teams' annual Triple Distance Meet. Murphy made his 2016-17 debut by winning the backstroke, Cobleigh won the breaststroke, Michael Jensen took the freestyle and Seliskar won the individual medley. Cal also won both relays on the day.

WHAT'S NEXT
The postseason kicks off for Callahan when he travels to Federal Way, Wash. to compete in the Pac-12 Diving Championships from Feb. 22-25. One week later, the swimmers head north as the Bears take part in the Pac-12 Swimming Championships from March 1-4. The Zone E Diving Championships are set for March 6-8 at Northern Arizona and the NCAA Championships for both swimming and diving will take place March 22-25 in Indianapolis.