Bears Load Up For Tri-Meet In Tempe - California Golden Bears Athletics

Friday, November 8

Tempe, AZ

10:00 AM PT

California

Stanford

Cal returns to pool against No. 6 Arizona State, No. 9 Stanford

Photo by: Jack Spitser

11/5/2024 1:39 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving

Cal Returns To Pool Against No. 6 Arizona State, No. 9 Stanford

By: Cal Athletics

The No. 1 California men's swimming & diving team returns to action in a two-day tri-meet against No. 6 Arizona State and No. 9 Stanford in a double dual format beginning on Thursday in Tempe, Arizona. Cal divers Jack Clark and Joshua Thai will also make their season debut.

THURSDAY, NOV. 7
Cal vs. Arizona State & Stanford | 5 p.m. PT | Mona Plummer Aquatic Center | Tempe, Ariz.
Live Stream: None
Live Results: Meet Mobile

FRIDAY, NOV. 8
Cal vs. Arizona State & Stanford | 10 a.m. PT | Mona Plummer Aquatic Center | Tempe, Ariz.
Live Stream: None
Live Results: Meet Mobile

LAST TIME IN THE POOL
Last time out, Cal split the Triple Distance Meet with Stanford after winning 10 of the 20 events, including a sweep by Jack Alexy in the sprint freestyle (50: 19:60, 100: 43:39 and the 200: 1:37.16). Freshman Yamato Okadome nearly cliched a sweep in the breaststroke after winning the 100 (53.74) and 200 (1:56.52). Okadome placed second in the 50 with a time of 24.83, a mere 0.13 seconds behind the first-place finisher. Graduate student Björn Seeliger had a great night in the backstroke events after claiming first in the 50 (22.13) and 100 (48.03). He missed out on the sweep after placing fourth in the 200 with a time of 1:46.09. Junior Matthew Chai shined in the distance free events after winning the 500 (4:24.27), while the "A" group of Alexy, graduate student Matthew Jensen, senior Robin Hanson and freshman Lucca Battaglini claimed first in the 200 free with a time of 1:19.35.

IN THE RANKINGS
In the lastest CSCAA Top-25 Poll rankings released Oct. 17, the Golden Bears held steady at the top with 393 points. Rounding out the top five were Texas (377), Floria (369), Indiana (361) and NC State (332).

WELCOME BACK
Cal returned 30 student-athletes from a season ago, 11 of whom have earned All-American honors in their careers - Jack Alexy, Robin Hanson, Matthew Jensen, Gabriel Jett, Keaton Jones, Tyler Kopp, Destin Lasco, Dare Rose, Bjorn Seeliger, Joshua Thai and Geoffrey Vavitsas.

RELOADED ONCE AGAIN
Director of Swimming & Diving David Durden and his staff have reloaded once again after bringing in the seventh-ranked recruiting class of 2024, according to SwimSwam.com. The Bears welcome 12 swimmers for 2024-25, led by the nation's No. 3-ranked recruit, Lucca Battaglini.

GOING FOR GOLD
A total of 11 current and former Cal swimmers punched their tickets to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, while David Durden was named assistant coach for the United States, marking his third time as a member of the coaching staff for the U.S. Jack Alexy and Hunter Armstrong, a member of California's postgraduate training group, won gold medals as members of the United States men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay team. Cal alum Ryan Murphy earned gold in the 4x100 mixed medley relay while taking the bronze in the 100-meter backstroke. Murphy, Armstrong and Alexy brought home the silver medal in the 4x100 men's medley relay. Brooks Curry, also a member of California's postgraduate training group, won silver in the 4x200 freestyle relay.

U.S NATIONAL TEAM
USA Swimming announced the 2024-2025 U.S National Team roster last month, featuring nine current and former Cal swimmers. The current Golden Bears selected included Jack Alexy, Dare Rose, Keaton Jones and Destin Lasco. Former Bears include - Hunter Armstrong, Liam Bell, Brooks Curry, Trenton Julian and Ryan Murphy.

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).