QUEEN OF THE POOL
FRIDAY, SEPT. 20 | 12 P.M. | ANDERSON AQUATIC CENTER | SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF.


BERKELEY – The California women's swimming & diving team takes part in its traditional season opener at the Queen of the Pool at Cal Poly's Anderson Aquatic Center on Friday.

Graduate student Isabelle Stadden is the two-time defending champion in the event, which features swimmers competing in the 100-yard race of the butterfly, breaststroke, individual medley, backstroke and freestyle. The swimmer with the best combined time will be named the Queen of the Pool.

Stadden won last year's event with an aggregate time of 4:38.61 with teammates Leah Polonsky (4:42.55) and McKenna Stone (4:43.71) immediately following. Stadden won the freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, and individual medley while finishing fifth in the breaststroke.
 

WELCOME TO THE ACC: The University of California, Berkeley, announced it was moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) on Sept. 1, 2023, and became an official member on Aug. 2 of this year. Cal's women's swimming & diving team will not swim a round robin season against ACC opponents but will compete at the ACC Championships in Greensboro, N.C., in February.

2023-24 REDUX: The Bears finished last season at No. 4 in the CSCAA dual meet rankings and won the sixth Pac-12 championship in program history. Stadden captured her third conference title in the 200 backstroke and added the 100 back crown to her resume while senior Mia Kragh captured the 100 butterfly championship and now-alum Rachel Klinker took the honors in the 200 butterfly. Cal finished 11^th as a team at the 2024 NCAA Championships, including A-final appearances by Stadden in the 100 back (2^nd) and 200 back (4^th), Klinker in the 200 fly (3^rd) and Kragh in the 100 fly (8^th). The Bears also took fourth in the 200 medley relay.

STADDEN NAMED 2024 PAC-12 SWIMMER OF THE YEAR: Isabelle Stadden became the 11^th Golden Bear to be named Pac-12 Swimmer of the Year in 2024, winning two individual conference titles and adding a third as part of a relay. Stadden captured her third career crown in the 200 back while winning her first in the 100 back. She also swam the backstroke leg on Cal's Pac-12 winning 200 medley relay team. Stadden helped the Bears compile a 7-1 dual meet record (5-1 Pac-12) and a final national dual meet ranking of No. 4 while also setting Spieker Aquatics Complex records in both individual backstroke events.

NINE MAKE PARIS: Cal had nine affiliates compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, including senior Leah Polonsky (Israel) and French newcomers Mary-Ambre Moluh and Lilou Ressencourt. Alumna Abbey Weitzeil won a gold medal in the 4x100 mixed medley relay and the silver in the 4x100 freestyle relay. Director of Swimming & Diving Dave Durden served as an assistant coach for Team USA.

KRAGH'S LIST: Senior Mia Kragh had a breakout season in 2023-24, winning the Pac-12 title in the 100 butterfly and making the A-final in the event at the NCAA Championships and finishing eighth. Kragh now has the eighth-fastest time ever at Cal in the 100 fly at 50.89 and also holds the Spieker Aquatics Complex record in the event (51.30).

TALENT INFUSION: Fourteen of the 36 student-athletes on Cal's roster are new Golden Bears this season, a recruiting class that is ranked No. 7 nationally by SwimSwam. Leading the way are a pair of 2024 Summer Olympians in freshman Mary-Ambre Moluh and graduate student Lilou Ressencourt, each of whom have long-course times that could convert to point-scoring at the NCAA Championships. Graduate transfers Maya Geringer (Ohio State) and Margaux McDonald (Princeton) each have NCAA Championships experience.
 
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