No. 3 Cal To Take On Wildcats And Sun Devils

Friday, January 20

Tucson, AZ

1:00 PM

California

Arizona

The No. 3 ranked Cal men's swimming & diving team returns to action this weekend, taking on Arizona and Arizona State.

1/19/2023 12:44 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving

Bears Will Also Compete At Triton Invitational Hosted By UC San Diego

By: Cal Athletics

BERKELEY – The No. 3 ranked Cal men's swimming & diving team returns to action this weekend with a pair of Pac-12 dual meets at No. 17 Arizona on Friday followed by a showdown against No. 1 Arizona State on Saturday. Cal will also have several swimmers competing at UC San Diego on Friday and Saturday at the Triton Invitational in La Jolla.

Friday's meet against the Wildcats is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. PT at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center. Saturday's meet against the Sun Devils is slated for an 11:00 a.m. start time.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 18
Cal at Arizona | 1:00 p.m. PT | Hillenbrand Center | Tucson, Arizona
Live Stream: via Instagram Stories @Arizonaswimdive

FRIDAY and SATURDAY, JANUARY 18
Cal at UC San Diego | 2:00 p.m. PT | Canyonview Aquatic Center | La Jolla, Calif.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 19
Cal at Arizona State | 11:00 a.m. PT | Hillenbrand Center | Tucson, Arizona
Live Stream:

SATURDAY, JANUARY 19
Triton Invitational | All Day | Canyonview Aquatic Center | La Jolla, Calif.

LAST TIME IN THE POOL
The Bears closed out 2022 with a terrific showing at the Minnesota Invitational Nov. 1-Dec. 3. Over the four-day meet, the Golden Bears won several individual events and were particularly dominant in the relays. Highlights from the prestigious meet include wins by Björn Seeliger, Dare Rose, Gabriel Jett, Reece Whitley, and Destin Lasco. Cal's relays displayed the Bears' team speed, but its depth. The Bears had 13 different relay teams finish in the top 10, including wins in the 200 medley, 200 free, 400 medley, and 400 free.

DECEMBER SWEEP
The Golden Bears swept the Pac-12 Swimmer and Diver of the Month honors for December. Seeliger was tabbed the Swimmer of the Month while freshman Joshua Thai was named the Diver of the Month. Seeliger earned his first career Swimmer of the Month award for his stellar performance at the Minnesota Invitational. In the four-day event, he won two individual events and helped the Bears win three relays. Seeliger was victorious in the 100 freestyle and 50 free. His time in the 50 free was 18.73, good enough for an NCAA A qualifying time, and was also the third fastest time in the nation. Thai's breakout performance at the Minnesota Invitational saw him record NCAA zone qualifying scores in the one-meter, three-meter, and platform competitions. Thai took first in the 1-meter finals with a final score of 346.46. Thai is just the fifth Cal diver all-time to win Pac-12 Men's Diver of the Month honors. He is the first since Tom Henninger won the award Dec. 4, 2008.

IN THE RANKINGS
The Golden Bears opened the year ranked No. 1 in the CSCAA preseason poll. They have since moved down to No. 3, with 415 points. Cal trails No. 1 Arizona (438 points) and No. Texas (432 points).

AGAINST THE WILDCATS
Friday will make the 41^st time the Golden Bears and Wildcats have squared off. All-time Cal owns a 32-8 advantage in the series. Last time out, Cal defeated the then-20^th-ranked Arizona 173-80 at Spieker Aquatics Complex on Jan. 21, 2022.

AGAINST THE SUN DEVILS
Saturday will be the 43^rd time the two teams have met in the pool. The Bears own a 38-4 advantage in the series. Last time out, Cal defeated then No. 6 Arizona State 145-111 at Spieker Aquatics Complex on Jan. 22, 2022.

STAY POSTED
For complete coverage of Cal men's swimming and diving, please follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalMenSwim), Instagram (@CalMenSwim) and Facebook (Facebook.com/CalMensSwimmingandDiving).