BERKELEY – From the pool to the lake to track & field, Golden Bear student-athletes rose to the top of the podium 12 times in 2018-19, adding an impressive number of national championships to Cal's historical total. The accomplishments will be recognized during the school's annual National Championship Week, culminating with an introduction on the field during Cal's football game vs. Arizona State on Friday, Sept. 27.
 
Over its history, Cal has earned 97 national team titles in 16 different sports and has a combined 312 championships in individual, rowing, relay and tennis doubles events. Since its first national championship in football in 1920, Cal has had at least one national champion in 85 of the last 100 years. And the Bears have had at least one national champion every year since the 1973-74 season, making it 46 straight years of national champions at Cal.
 
Men's swimming & diving earned the team crown at the NCAA meet in late March, capturing the sixth title in school history. Individually, Andrew Seliskar won three different races, while Ryan Hoffer added one himself and the Bears claimed victory in the 200-yard free relay. In women's swimming & diving, Abbey Weitzeil captured the 50-yard free, and Cal took first place in three separate relays.
 
At the end of the academic year, the Bears prevailed in the second varsity eight in men's rowing, and Camryn Rogers claimed the women's hammer throw in women's track & field.
 
Cal's first NCAA championships of 2018-19 came in the pool, starting with women's swimming & diving during national meet in Austin, Texas. Weitzeil earned her first individual title in the 50 free when she lowered her own American record in the event to 21.02 seconds.
 
The Bears also claimed three relay races during the meet. Weitzeil teamed with Maddie Murphy, Katie McLaughlin and Amy Bilquist to win the 200 free relay, while Bilquist, McLaughlin and Weitzeil were joined by Ema Rajic to win the 400 medley relay. Cal closed out the competition with an NCAA-record swim in the 400 free relay with Isabel Ivey, McLaughlin, Bilquist and Weitzeil getting to the wall first.
 
A week later, the men took their turn in the same pool. Seliskar captured three races – the 200 individual medley, the 200 free and the 200 breaststroke – and was named the CSCAA National Swimmer of the Year for his efforts. In addition, Hoffer led the field to the wall to win the 50 free, and the foursome of Pawel Sendyk, Hoffer, Michael Jensen and Seliskar won the 200 free relay.
 
As a team, the Cal men set school records for most points (560) and largest margin of victory (85 points) on their way to the championship, leading the standings after each of the four nights of the meet.
 
Closer to home on Lake Natoma outside Sacramento, the Cal men's second varsity eight dominated the field during three rounds of racing. After posting the fastest time during the qualifying and semifinal rounds, the Bears earned the IRA championship with a nearly two-second victory over runner-up Washington.
 
Cal closed out its championship run back in Austin in early June at the NCAA track & field meet when Rogers set a school record with her throw of 234-7 on her fourth of six attempts in the women's hammer throw. As a result, Rogers, now in her junior year, became the fifth Golden Bear woman to earn a national title in track & field.