10 Bears Head to Omaha For Olympic Trials

A host of Golden Bears will be vying to represent the United States in Tokyo when they compete at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials June 13-20 in Omaha, Nebraska. A total of 10 Cal swimmers – past, present and future – will be in the pool over the eight days of racing.
 
Alums Abbey Weitzeil and Kathleen Baker are aiming for their second Olympics after they both earned a pair of medals in 2016 in Rio. Weitzeil was a member of the gold-medal-winning 400m medley relay and the silver-medal-winning 400m free relay five years ago. At the 2016 Trials, she captured both the 50m and 100m free and will be out to defend her titles this year.
 
Baker claimed an individual silver in Rio in the 100m backstroke, while she led off the U.S. 400m medley relay that won gold. A former world-record holder in the 100m back, she is entered in three events – 100m back, 200m back and 200m individual medley.
 
Alum Katie McLaughlin will be aiming for her first Olympic team after representing the United States at the World Championships in both 2015 and 2019. Alum Amy Bilquist just missed out on the 2016 Olympics after placing third in both backstroke events in 2016, and she returns for another shot at the Games. Madison Kennedy, who graduated in 2009, is also entered in the 50m free.
 
The four members of the current Cal roster who will be swimming are Isabel Ivey, Rachel Klinker, Ayla Spitz and Isabelle Stadden. Ivey, the 2021 Pac-12 Swimmer of the Year, won three events at the conference meet and posted three top-4 performances at the NCAA Championships (100 free, 100 back, 100 fly). Klinker captured the 2021 Pac-12 title in the 200-yard fly and qualified for the Trials in both butterfly events.
 
In addition, Spitz is listed in five events in the pre-meet psych sheet (100m free, 200m free, 100m back, 200m back, 100m fly), while Stadden, who won the Pac-12 championship in the 200-yard back as a freshman last year, is among the leaders in the 100m and 200m back.
 
Finally, incoming freshman McKenna Stone is scheduled to compete in the 50m free.
 
In its history, Cal has produced 38 Olympians who have won a combined 49 medals. Four Golden Bears earned eight medals at the 2016 Olympics in Rio: Baker (100m back – silver; 400m medley relay – gold), Missy Franklin (800m free relay – gold), Dana Vollmer (100m fly – bronze; 400 free relay – silver; 400 medley relay – gold) and Weitzeil (400 free relay – silver; 400 medley relay – gold).