International Success
• Was 12th in the 50 back (24.79 in prelims) for his native Israel at the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome
• Placed third in the 50 back at the 2009 World University Games (25.09)
• Finished 16th in the 100-meter back for Israel at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (54.93 in the semifinals) and notched a time of 54.50 in the 100 back prelims
• A semifinalist in the 50 back in the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne
• Placed fourth in 50-meter back in the 2007 European Championships sixth in the 100 back in the 2007 European Games in Paris
• Holds Israeli records in the 50 back, 100 back and 100 fly
Cal Success
• Member of 2010 NCAA champion 200 free (anchor leg), 200 medley (backstroke leg) and 400 medley relays (backstroke leg)
• Place third in the 100 backstroke (46.23) at the 2010 NCAA championship
• Member of 2010 Pac-10 champion 200 medley relay
• Swam the backstroke on the school's record-setting 200 medley relay (1:22.50) in 2009
• Has the school's fourth-best all-time mark in the 100 back (46.23) and sixth-best time in the 200 back (1:42.62)
• Was 2009 and 2010 first-team Pac-10 All-Academic
High School Success
• Won an Israeli national championship with high school team Hof Hasharon
• Swam for Haopel Jerusalem, coached by Leonid Kauffman
Personal
• Parents are Eitan and Rachel Barnea
• Majoring in business administration
• Born Sept. 9, 1987, in Beer Sheva, Israel
CAREER-BEST TIMES
SHORT-COURSE YARDS
100 Back 46.23
200 Back 1:42.62
LONG-COURSE METERS 100 Back 54.22 200 Back 1:58.99
Why did you decide to go study in the United States?
I wanted to change my environment and fulfill my potential in swimming and academics
Why Cal?
Cal offers the best combination of academics, swimming program and great people.
Was it hard to adjust?
It was definitely not easy. However, I felt like I was a part of a big team when I got here and really gotten along great with everyone.
Name a favorite thing at Cal that you can't find at home.
Golden Bear Café and the "happy, happy, happy man" on the corner of Telegraph and Bancroft.
How do you plan to use your degree from Cal?
I want to graduate from Haas Business School and see where that takes me.
What do you think makes Cal unique and distinct from any other school?
Definitely the diversity of people along with a special atmosphere which is hard to describe in words.
How is training at Cal different from how it was back home?
We train here as a team as opposed to an individual. I prefer this approach much more.
What is your favorite memory from your time at Cal?
Two-hour breakfasts with the team in Crossroads cafeteria after a hard dryland circuit.
