The Bears host rival Stanford for the annual fall Triple Distance Meet on Friday at Spieker Aquatics Complex.
Cal, Stanford Meet For Annual Fall Competition On Friday
BERKELEY – The California men’s swimming & diving team and rival Stanford will square off for the first time in this season Friday afternoon at Spieker Aquatics Complex when the Golden Bears host the Cardinal for the annual Triple Distance Meet. The competition is scheduled to begin at noon PT.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2
Cal vs. Stanford | Noon PT | Spieker Aquatics Complex | Berkeley
Live Stream: Cal Livestream
Live Results: MeetMobile
LAST TIME IN THE POOL
In the first dual meet of the season, the Bears defeated visiting Pitt 170-127. Cal won 12 of the 14 events. Bjorn Seeliger, Jack Alexy, Jack Meehan, and Dare Rose won two events each. The meet against the Panthers featured the welcome return of former assistant coach Chase Kreitler, who helped the Bears win national championships in 2019 and 2022.
IN THE RANKINGS
The inaugural CSCAA Top-25 poll was released earlier today. Cal opens the year ranked No. 2 with 289 votes. In first is Arizona State with 299 points. Rounding out the top five is Florida, NC State, and Indiana. The Bears began the season ranked No. 1 and were never lower than No. 3. They finished the 2022-23 dual season ranked No. 2.
GOING THE DISTANCE
A unique training opportunity for both squads, the Triple Distance Meet requires the Golden Bears and the Cardinal to swim three distances of one stroke, with individuals racing at 50, 100 and 200 yards in each event. Distance freestylers will race the 200, 500 and 1,000 while individual medley specialists swim the 100, 200 and 400 IM. Both teams will also compete in a pair of relay events.
STRONG DEBUTS
Four freshmen had a strong debut in their first dual at Spieker against Pitt. Roman Jones captured second in the 100 fly. Humberto Najera took third in the 200 individual medley. Samuel Quarles captured third in the 100 fly, while Aaron Shackell took second in both the 200 fly and 500 freestyle.
ROUND ONE GOES TO BIG BROTHER
Junior Jack Alexy won his first head-to-head race against younger brother Rob against Pitt in the 100 freestyle. Jack finished first with a time of 43.42, while Rob took seventh with a time of 46.68.
THEY’RE BACK
Cal returns 11 student-athletes who have earned All-American honors in their careers. The list includes Jack Alexy, Liam Bell, Robin Hanson, Matthew Jensen, Gabriel Jett, Destin Lasco, Jason Louser, Colby Mefford, Dare Rose, Bjorn Seeliger and Sebastian Somerset.
TALENTED NEWCOMERS
Durden and his staff continue to reload the talent pipeline. The Bears welcomed eight swimmers for the 2023-24 season; five of the eight were named top recruits for the 2023 recruiting class by SwimSwam.com. Joining the Bears are Rob Alexy (Mendham, NJ), Nikolas Antoniou (Limassol, Cyprus), Andrew Hallett (Walnut Creek, Calif.), Keaton Jones (Gilbert, Ariz.) Roman Jones (Chatham Township, NJ), Humberto Najera (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), Samuel Quarles (Coronado, Calif.), and Aaron Shackell (Carmel, Ind.)
NEW-LOOK STAFF
The Bears have a new look on deck this season with the addition of associate head coach Josh Huger and assistant coaches Kim Williams and Noah Yanchulis. Huger spent the past four seasons at Tennessee, whose women’s program finished in the top 10 nationally every year he was there. Last year, he helped the Vols’ men’s program achieve a seventh-place finish – its best in seven years. Huger also helped coach Tennessee’s Jordan Crooks, the 2023 SEC Swimmer of the Year, to the 2023 NCAA championship in the 50 free. Williams was a three-time NCAA champion and six-time All-American as a swimmer at Stanford who spent last season as a volunteer assistant coach at Northwestern. Yanchulis spent the past five years on the coaching staff at Division II Oklahoma Christian and was a two-time Big East Most Outstanding Swimmer as a student-athlete at Seton Hall.
NATIONAL TEAM
Six Cal swimmers earned spots on the 2023-24 United States National Team roster, which was announced by USA Swimming last week. Alums Ryan Murphy and Trenton Julian earned their 12th and fifth career selection, respectively. Current Golden Bears Lasco and Rose earned their third and second career selection, respectively. Alexy and Shackell both earned their first career selections.
STAY POSTED
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