FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – California senior Leah Polonsky ran out of 200-yard individual medleys to race Thursday. Otherwise, who knows how far her recent explosive improvement would have taken her?

Polonsky shattered her own personal-best time in the event during the morning prelims of the 2025 NCAA Championships, establishing the third-fastest time ever at Cal with a 1:51.91 to qualify second for the championship final. She returned to the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center hours later for the finals and shaved almost another half-second off that time, moving up to second place on the Golden Bear all-time list and finishing third with a mark of 1:51.51.

Polonsky, who won the Pac-12 championship in the 200 IM as a sophomore in 2023, had never made a championship final at NCAAs before Thursday. During the prelims, she was slightly edged by Olympic gold medalist Torri Huske of Stanford as the top qualifier.

It was just one month and one day since Polonsky last set a personal-best in the event, placing third at the ACC Championships with a time of 1:53.28. At the time, that was good for sixth all-time at Cal. Since, she has trimmed almost two full seconds off her best time.

Polonsky, a 2024 Olympian herself for her native Israel, is now done with her collegiate career in the 200 IM. But she will be back in the pool Friday as the No. 8 seed in the 200 freestyle and Saturday in the 200 butterfly.
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Meanwhile, graduate student Maya Geringer scored somewhat surprising points for Cal in the 500 freestyle, placing 14^th in the event after entering NCAAs as the 40^th seed. She grabbed the 16^th and final spot in the B-final after recording a career-best time of 4:38.76 in the prelims.

Freshman Mary-Ambre Moluh tied for 14^th in the 50 freestyle.

The Bears' 200 freestyle relay team of Moluh, Mia West, Isabelle Stadden and McKenna Stone earned First Team All-American honors with a seventh-place finish in a time of 1:26.96.

With two days remaining at the 2025 NCAA Championships, Cal stands in eight place in the team standings with 89.5 points.The meet continues Friday with the 100 butterfly, 400 individual medley, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke, 3-meter diving and the 400 medley relay.
 

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