FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – Cal captured the 400-yard medley at the Pac-12 Championships for the second year in a row, with senior Abbey Weitzeil finishing off a three-second victory for the Golden Bears with a time of 3:27.26.
 
In the meet's opening race, Cal took second to USC in the 800 free relay. The Bears and Trojans stand tied for first place after the opening two events with 120 points apiece. The Pac-12 Championships continue through Saturday, with prelims beginning at 10:30 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m. Thursday's finals will be streamed live on the Pac-12 Now app and Pac-12.com.
 
"The 400 medley relay was a really good race, and we're excited to win a Pac-12 title – you never want to take one for granted," head coach Teri McKeever said. "I thought we did a good job overall tonight, and we definitely want to keep it going tomorrow."
 
In the medley relay, senior Keaton Blovad swam a season-best 52.03 100-yard backstroke to put Cal ahead early. Sophomore Ema Rajic followed with the breaststroke leg, and the Bears and Stanford were virtually tied halfway through the race. Sophomore Isabel Ivey then put Cal well in front with a strong 100 fly, and Weitzeil brought it home with a 45.77 100 free split.
 
USC took second in 3:30.73, with Stanford third in 3:31.58. Cal's winning time is the second fastest in the nation this year – a mere 0.04 second behind leader North Carolina State – and the fourth fastest in school history. The Bears are the defending national champions in the 400 medley relay.
 
Cal came up just short in the 800 free relay, as the foursome of Ayla Spitz, Ivey, Robin Neumann and Alicia Wilson touched in 6:56.68, just 0.68 seconds off the Bears' best time this season. Spitz led off with a personal-best 1:45.00 over the first 200 yards.
 
USC won the race with a time of 6:54.91, with Stanford (6:56.88) and Arizona State (6:58.09) right behind the Bears.