Former Cal rower Christoph Seifriedsberger, who was a member of the Bears' varsity eight for two seasons and an oarsman for the Austrian National Team, passed away tragically Friday at the age of 26.

"It's been a tough few days for the team and our entire Cal Crew community as we struggle to deal with the news of Christoph's passing," Cal head coach Scott Frandsen said. "My thoughts are with his family as well as the 100-plus fellow student-athletes that trained and raced with Christoph. He was a great leader on our team and set the example for commitment, hard work, compassion, and being there to listen to and support your teammates. This is such a tragedy and a loss that many of us will feel for a long time. Christoph's legacy will live on, on the walls of our boathouse and through the countless friendships he forged during his time at Cal."

Seifriedsberger arrived at Cal in 2017 and immediately earned a spot in the varsity eight – a boat that went undefeated in the regular season. He helped the Bears take the silver medal at the Pac-12 Championships and fourth place at the IRA National Championships. Seifriedsberger was in the varsity eight again the following year and took third at nationals.

Seifriedsberger took time off from Cal to train for the Tokyo Olympics with his native Austria. He advanced to the finals of the Olympic Qualification Regatta in the Men's Four but just missed out on earning a berth to the Summer Games.

Seifriedsberger returned to Cal last year and rowed in the Second Varsity Eight that took silver at the IRA National Championships. He earned his degree from Cal in Political Economy.