Cal Opens Championship Season At Pac-12s

BERKELEY – California will look to claim its fifth consecutive men's swimming & diving conference title as the swimming portion of the Pac-12 Championships get underway in Federal Way, Washington on March 2-5.
 
The Golden Bears have won the past four Pac-12 team titles (2018-21) and are eight-time winners dating back to 1980. Cal has won 236 all-time conference individual/relay/diving titles, including 128 under head coach David Durden since 2008.
 
The four-day meet will be hosted at Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center. All finals sessions throughout the week will start at 6 p.m. PT and will be streamed on the Pac-12 Now app and Pac-12.com with Rich Burk and Amy Van Dyken on the call. Preliminaries will begin each morning at 11 a.m. PT.
 
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Wednesday, March 2:
6 p.m. PT – 200 medley relay & 800 free relay finals
Thursday, March 3:
6 p.m. PT – 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free & 200 free relay finals
Friday, March 4:
6 p.m. PT – 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, 400 medley relay finals
Saturday, March 5:
6 p.m. PT – 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, 400 free relay
 
2021 PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS IN REVIEW
The Golden Bears won 17 of 18 swimming events across the four-day championship meet, totaling 970 points to finish 182 points ahead of runner-up Stanford (788). Cal's 17 Pac-12 individual/relay victories are a program record, besting the former mark of 15 set by the 2019 team. The 970-point total was one shy of tying the 2018 squad's school record (971) at Pac-12s. The 2021 team title was highlighted by an eight-man senior class that has been a part of Cal's four conference titles dating back to 2018.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
Cal is ranked third nationally in the most recent CSCAA TYR Top25 poll (February) with 325 points, trailing only Texas (350) and NC State (331).
 
LAST TIME IN THE POOL
Sophomore Björn Seeliger won the 50 and 100 free races but the No. 3 Cal fell to No. 6 Stanford on Feb. 19 to close out the dual meet season. The loss snapped a streak of 20 consecutive dual meet victories for the Bears, whose last defeat had come on Oct. 3, 2018. Seeliger took the 50 free in a time of 19.08 and the 100 free in 41.78. Cal won eight races overall and had a handful of season-best times. The Bears took the top two spots in the 200 IM, with Hugo González winning in a time of 1:42.15 and Destin Lasco finishing second at 1:42.19. Reece Whitley won the 200 breast event in a time of 1:49.96, Cal's best mark of the season. Trenton Julian (200 free – 1:33.13), Liam Bell (100 breast – 52.31), Lasco (200 back – 1:39.64) also notched victories for the Bears. Cal's 200 medley relay team of Daniel Carr, Bell, Dare Rose and Seeliger won with a season-best time of 1:23.62.
 
STAY POSTED
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