Cal Family –

Greetings from Haas Pavilion.

I would like to begin this month's newsletter by addressing the uncertainty around conference realignment. As I am sure you are aware, eight member institutions of the Pac-12 have announced they will be leaving the conference next summer. This happened very quickly, and we have been working tirelessly to map out the next step for Cal Athletics. I am grateful for the leadership of Chancellor Christ and UC President Michael Drake as we thoroughly examine all of the options for our future. 

President Drake asked that we share this note with you:

"I want to assure the Berkeley community that ever since the initial changes in the Pac-12's membership, I have been working in close partnership with Chancellor Christ and A.D. Knowlton to ensure that Cal Athletics will continue to be an integral contributor to the university's excellence. We know that time is of the essence, and while challenges remain, I am optimistic they will be surmounted."

This is an extremely complex process, and while we are striving to find a solution as soon as we can, we are also being as thoughtful and thorough as possible to set the most optimal course for our program, our student-athletes, and our future.

Despite the above, we will continue to compete in the Pac-12 for at least one more academic year, and our fall sports are revving up for what should be an exciting season. In fact, both of our soccer teams and our field hockey squad have already had exhibition games, and our women's soccer team opens the regular season this Thursday at Tennessee. Our football team began training camp on Aug. 3 and is hard at work preparing for the season-opener at the University of North Texas on Sept. 2. If you are joining us in Texas for the Cal vs. UNT game, make sure you RSVP for our Kick-Off Reception in Dallas and purchase tickets for our Official Cal Tailgate on gameday! I'm proud of Coach Wilcox and his staff for their work on the recruiting trail that has provided scholar-athletes across the nation the opportunity of a lifetime. This year's team has several new faces, and I'm excited to see what this version of the Golden Bears can do this year! We have a variety of ticket deals so make sure you get yours now!

I also wanted to take a moment to welcome Justin Allegri to our Cal Family. Justin has been hired as our new play-by-play radio announcer for both football and men's basketball, and I couldn't be more excited for him to start telling the story of both of our teams. Justin is a creative, innovative broadcaster who will be a terrific representative of Cal Athletics and the campus community. Check out this video feature that introduces Justin to our fan base.

In case you missed it, July 26 marked one year out from the beginning of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. As I'm sure you know, we have a long history of success at the Olympics, and I expect these games to be more of the same. Last month's World Aquatics Championships offered a glimpse of what is to come when our aquatics athletes amassed 17 medals against the best competition on the planet. So far, we have already seen four Golden Bears officially qualify for the Olympics – Mykolas Alekna and Camryn Rogers from track & field, Lucas Henveaux from men's swimming and Kitty Lynn Joustra from women's water polo. That number should grow exponentially in the months ahead.

It was a thrill to see five of our alums participate in the Women's World Cup! Alex Morgan (USA), Daisy Cleverley (New Zealand), Betsy Hassett (New Zealand), Ifeoma Onumonu (Nigeria) and Guro Bergsvand (Norway) all represented their countries on the biggest stage of soccer, and we are proud to call them Golden Bears!

We had yet another strong showing on the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll. Our department had 155 student-athletes gain recognition in the spring, which was the second-most in the conference and covered 13 of our sports. Our rowing teams led the way with a combined 62 selections between the men's and women's squads.

I'd also like to shout out our athletic communications staff, which picked up five District 8 honors in the annual College Sports Communicators writing contest. District 8 is made up of 11 Western states and Canadian territories, and our staff led the way with the most honors in the district. Our athletic communications staff continues to tell the important stories of our teams, student-athletes and staff in impactful and compelling ways.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who gave to Cal Athletics last year. Together, your generosity will provide over $42 million in support of our student-athletes, ensuring they have the resources to excel both academically and athletically. The department remains committed to three bold goals - exceptional student-athlete experiences, team and individual competitive success, and attracting and retaining the best people to serve student-athletes - which have guided Cal Athletics' priorities and empowered the department to make critical enhancements to the student-athlete experience. To date, Cal Athletics has received more than $330 million in gifts and commitments during the campuswide Light the Way Campaign and we are on track to meet our collective goal of $350 million in support of our student-athletes by December 31, 2023.

Our current situation is certainly challenging. But I often reflect on the many other challenges we as a Cal community have faced over the last few years, and I am confident that we will continue to provide the exceptional experience we all expect for our student-athletes and community.

The Bear will not quit. The Bear will not die.

Go Bears!
 

 
Jim