Queen of the Pool
Friday, Sep. 21 | 11:00 AM | Anderson Aquatic Center | San Luis Obispo, Calif.
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Cal kicks off its 2018-19 season Friday with what has become an annual visit to Cal Poly for the Queen of the Pool meet in San Luis Obispo. The competition features each swimmer taking part in 100-yard races in free, fly, back and breast events, plus a 100-yard individual medley, and the person with the lowest combined time will be crowned queen. A new winner will be declared this year, as Kathleen Baker, who claimed the last two titles, has turned professional. Last year, Sarah Darcel, now a sophomore for the Bears, was the runner-up with a combined time of 4:45.17, and she was followed by Abbey Weitzeil (4:47.34), Amy Bilquist (4:50.87) and Katie McLaughlin (4:51.62).

• 10 IN A ROW AMONG NCAA TOP 3
Coming off a national runner-up finish, Cal has placed among the top three at the NCAA Championships 10 years in a row - the longest current streak in the country. Included in the run are four national titles, coming in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015. The Bears were also second in 2013, 2017 and 2018, and third in 2010, 2014 and 2016.

• GOLDEN BEAR TRIO ON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM
Three Golden Bears have been chosen to represent the United States at the 2019 World Championships in South Korea - senior Katie McLaughlin, junior Abbey Weitzeil and Kathleen Baker. McLaughlin, who will swim the 100-meter butterfly, returns to Worlds for the first time since 2015 when she earned gold in the 800 free relay. Weitzeil will be competing in her third World Championships, which included a bronze medal in the 400 free relay in 2015, and will swim the 50 free and on the 400 free relay. Baker is one of three swimmers on the roster to qualify in four events - 50, 100 and 200 back and 200 individual medley - and she will likely be on the medley relay. She earned three medals at the 2017 world meet - gold (400 medley relay), silver (100 back) and bronze (200 back).

• LOOKING BACK AT 2018 NCAAS
Cal earned its second consecutive NCAA runner-up finish at the 2018 championships in Columbus, Ohio, and set five school records in the process. Kathleen Baker won the 200 back, breaking the American record when she touched in 1:47.30. Baker also snapped her own school mark in the 200 IM (1:51.25). The other records all came in relays - 200 free relay (Maddy Murphy, Amy Bilquist, Katie McLaughlin, Abbey Weitzeil, 1:25.50), 400 free relay (Bilquist, Weitzeil, Baker, McLaughlin, 3:08.05) and 200 medley relay (Baker, Weitzeil, Noemie Thomas, Bilquist, 1:33.85). Individually, the Bears had 12 swims in A finals - Baker (100 back, 3rd; 200 back, 1st; 200 IM, 2nd); Weitzeil (50 free, 4th; 100 free, 3rd); Bilquist (100 free, 8th), Robin Neumann (200 free, 5th), McLaughlin (100 fly, 6th; 200 fly, 4th, 200 free, 8th), Sarah Darcel (400 IM, 8th) and Noemie Thomas (100 fly, 4th).

• WHO'S BACK? WHO'S NEW?
Cal returns 23 members from its 2017-18 squad that finished as the NCAA runner-up. Included in the group are eight All-Americans - Amy Bilquist, Keaton Blovad, Sarah Darcel, Ali Harrison, Katie McLaughlin, Maddie Murphy, Robin Neumann and Abbey Weitzeil. The Golden Bears also welcome five freshmen to the roster - Cassidy Bayer, Elise Garcia, Ema Rajic, Alex Sumner and Alicia Wilson.