University of California Athletics

Bears aiming for success in Austin.

November 30, 1998

NOTING THE TEXAS INVITE: The No. 2 ranked University of Texas men and the No. 10 women host the top swim teams in the nation at the Texas Invitational in Austin, TX. Preliminary competition begins at 10 a.m. on Dec. 4 and Dec. 5 and 9:30 a.m. on Dec 6. Final competition begins at 6 p.m. on Dec. 4 and Dec. 5 and at 3 p.m. on Dec. 6. Some of the invited men's teams are No. 6 Arizona and Georgia, No. 8 Michigan, No. 9 California, No. 10 Arizona State, No. 14 Southern Methodist, No. 15 Nebraska, No. 22 Miami (FL), Texas Christian and Wisconsin.

The women's teams include: No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Arizona, No. 6 California, No. 17 UCLA, No. 18 Wisconsin, No. 21 Arizona State, No. 24 Texas A&M, Houston, Miami (FL), Texas Christian and Villanova. The results will be updated at the end of each session at approximately 1 and 9 p.m. central time on Friday and Saturday and 12 and 6 p.m. on Sunday.

HEAD COACH TERI MCKEEVER: Teri McKeever is in her seventh season as Cal's women's swimming head coach. McKeever has a 60-28 (.681) dual meet record with the Golden Bears and a 114-50 (.695) overall record (five years as women's coach at Fresno State). She has led Cal to a 15th place NCAA finish in 1993, a 21st place finish in 1994, a 28th place finish in 1995, a 17th place finish in 1996, a ninth place finish in 1997 and an eighth place finish in 1998. Michael Walker, recently named co-head coach by McKeever, enters his fifth season at Cal.

HEAD COACH NORT THORTON: Nort Thornton is celebrating his silver anniversary as the men's swimming coach at the University of California as he is in his 25th season leading the Golden Bears. Thornton, the dean of the Pacific-10 Conference swimming coaches, has a career dual meet record of 176-71 (.713) and is looking forward to the 1998-99 campaign as Cal returns 17 letterwinners and five All-Americans from a squad that finished eighth at the 1998 NCAA Championship.

NOTING THE CAL WOMEN: The No. 6 California women's swim team (7-1) defeated Brigham Young University, 162-134, last Friday, Nov. 20 at the Koret Center on the University of San Francisco campus. The Bears won 11 of 14 swimming events and leaders for Cal included freshmen Joscelin Yeo (Republic of Singapore), who captured the 200 fly (2:00.28), 200 back (2:05.46) and 200 IM (2:01.50), and junior Waen Minpraphal (Bangkok, Thailand), who took the 200 breast (2:19.70) and the 100 fly (57.83). So far this season, senior Marylyn Chiang and Minpraphal have automatically qualified for the NCAAs the 100 back and 200 fly, respectively. Seven swimmers also have earned NCAA consideration in 20 events, and the 200 medley relay (Chiang, Hanna Jaltner, Minpraphal, Andrienne Mattos; 1:42.59) also broke a Cal dual meet record against San Jose State, Nevada and Washington on Oct. 30.

NOTING THE CAL MEN: The No. 9 California men's swim team (2-0) faced No. 1 Stanford at Stanford's Double Distance Meet, Thurs., Nov. 19. The Cal men won three of six individual events. Freshmen Hiro Sakoda (Fullerton, CA), Andrew Chan (Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada) and Bruce Vogelgesang (Mission Viejo, CA) led the Bears. Sakoda won the 400 fly (3:57.21), Chan took the 400 breast (4:19.50) and Vogelgesang captured the 400 free (3:36.40). Others performing well for the Bears were seniors Alex Silver (Santa Rosa, CA) and Gordan Kozulj (Zagreb, Croatia). Silver took second in the 800 IM (8:24.93) and Kozulj also placed second in the 400 back (3:51.04). Earlier in the season, the Cal men defeated CSU Bakersfield, 154-121, Sat., Nov. 7 at the Koret Center on the University of San Francisco campus. The Bears won 14 of 14 swimming events as well as the one and three meter diving events. Chan and Sakoda also led the Bears, winning two events apiece.