AUSTIN, Texas - Cal swimmers Ryan Murphy, Andrew Seliskar and Josh Prenot all landed podium spots and the Bears put a wrap on a successful weekend in Austin with the final day of competition at the Arena Pro Series hosted by the University of Texas.
With a strong showing for current Cal swimmers already in place, Murphy logged the Bears' highest finish on Sunday with a second-place showing in the 100-meter backstroke. A time of 53.46 put Murphy right in the mix at the end of a hotly contested race as 2012 Olympic gold medalist Matt Grevers narrowly earned the win, stopping the clock in 53.35.
Prenot continued to establish that he'll be a factor in the individual medley moving forward, earning a third-place finish in the 200 IM with a time of 1:59.94. That put Prenot right in the hunt with two of America's most well-known swimmers, as Michael Phelps won the race in 1:58.00 and Ryan Lochte finished second in 1:58.43.
The final day of the meet was also productive for Seliskar, who posted a pair of impressive event finishes to close out the weekend. A time of 1:58.47 in the 200 butterfly was good for third place and left the Cal freshman only four-tenths of a second behind winner Zheng Wen Quah. And, the McLean, Va. native wasn't done, earning a spot in the 200 IM final as well and placing seventh.
Cal senior Jacob Pebley turned in a quality swim in the B final of the 100 backstroke, winning the heat with a time of 55.01 that would have placed him sixth in the A final. Former Cal swimmers Chuck Katis and Tom Shields also made A finals, and Katis earned a fifth-place finish with a time of 1:01.73 in the 100 breaststroke.
The Bears return to Spieker Aquatics Complex this week when they wrap up the home schedule for the 2015-16 season with dual meets against Arizona and Arizona State. Friday's matchup with Arizona is set for 2 p.m. and Saturday's meet against ASU is scheduled for a noon start. Both will be double dual meets, with the Cal women also competing against the Wildcats and Sun Devils.
