We had just won our third consecutive Pac-12 Conference title. The NCAA Championship meet was right around the corner, offering our team the chance to maintain our status as the best in collegiate athletics. Following that, the Golden Bears were ready to storm the United States Olympic Trials in Omaha. So much excitement, so close. It was palpable.

Then, in a single moment, it was gone. Thankfully, David Durden has spent years shaping our team to be good community stewards. We understand the health of our team, the UC Berkeley family, the Bay Area, our country and even the world are far more important than sporting events. Taking care of our world is the priority. When it's safe, we will resume our training and come back stronger than ever. Then we will be able to tell everyone that this is Bear Territory! 

In terms of having to cancel the NCAA Championships, I was most saddened for the seniors. They led us as we worked so hard in and out of the pool throughout the year, planning on the culmination in Indianapolis to defend our national title. The fruits of their labor as leaders on our team can be seen in our domination at the Pac-12 Championships. We swam well at the beginning of March, and were prepared to swim even faster at NCAAs. While we did not have the opportunity to compete, we know what is in store for our team in the future, and I thank the senior class of 2020 for leaving its legacy.

Following the cancellation announcement from the NCAA, our athletic director, Jim Knowlton, allowed for athletes who were preparing for the Olympic Trials or the Olympics to continue training for several days while we figured out what came next. I cannot be more thankful for the tremendous efforts that Mr. Knowlton and the Cal athletic department made for their student-athletes in this confusing and challenging time.
 
When I originally chose to come to Cal, Dave spoke about the Olympic spirit on the Cal campus. "As a Bear," he explained, "we eat, breathe and train to be the best in the World and in the NCAA."
 
The last few weeks have made me more proud to be a Cal Bear than ever before. Every morning that I headed to practice, I became more and more grateful for the opportunity to continue to strive for our goals. I want to thank my coaching staff - Dave, Chase Kreitler and Kevin Rapien. Shifting focus from the NCAA Championships to the Olympic Trials after a heartbreak was quite a tall order and these three men handled it with ease.

Now that the Olympics are postponed, we have a break and more time to reflect on this worldwide situation. Keeping healthy and focusing on the more vulnerable need to be our priorities as we move forward. I applaud Cal, USOC and IOC administrators for taking the athletes' and world's health as their top priority. While this year is not what I thought it was going to be like, I am very excited for 2021!

Go Bears!