No. 6 Cal Closes Fall At Minnesota Invitational

WSWIM12/2/2025 4:17 PM | By: Cal Athletics

Bears Set For Midseason Test

The No. 5 California ladies’s swimming & diving staff is about for a midseason take a look at closing out the autumn on the Minnesota Invitational on the Jean Okay. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis. The three-day meet runs from Thursday to Saturday and is meant to reflect the schedule of the NCAA Championships internet hosting the prelims within the morning and the finals within the night.
 
Joining the Golden Bears within the pool would be the host Golden Gophers, Denver, Rutgers, UNLV and Harvard.
 
Last 12 months Cal had a handful of strong performances on this meet together with Mary-Ambre Moluh breaking the college document within the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 49.68 and senior Abby Herscu profitable the 200-yard breaststroke with the sixth-fastest time in program historical past at 2:08.83.
 
Meet Information
Thursday, December 4 – Saturday, Dec 6
Minnesota Invitational | Jean Okay. Freeman Aquatic Center | Minneapolis, Minn.
Prelims: 8 a.m. PT; Diving 11 a.m. PT; Finals 3 p.m. PT
Live Stream: YouTube
Live Results: Sidearm
 
No Record Is Safe
In simply three meets this season the Bears have recorded 9 top-10 occasions on Cal’s all-time listing. All 9 have been recorded by underclassmen together with two every by freshmen Claire Weinstein, Teagan O’Dell and Silje Slyngstadli. Slyngstadli got here the closest to breaking a program document notching the second-fastest time in class historical past within the 100-yard breaststroke at 58.70.
 
Season-Opening W
Cal opened up the 2025-26 season with a first-place end at UC San Diego’s Triton Invitational, defeating the third-ranked Cardinal, host Tritons, Hawaii and UC Santa Barbara. Cal gained 11 of the 15 occasions and led all through the weekend ending with 1,202 factors – 303.5 extra factors than second-place Stanford. Freshman Silje Slyngstadli acquired her first collegiate season began in stellar style profitable each the 100-yard (1:00.01) and 200-yard breaststrokes (2:11.23) with occasions that routinely certified her for the NCAA Championships. Freshman Claire Weinstein (4:37.14) etched her identify into Cal lore recording the fifth-fastest time in program historical past within the 500-yard freestyle to win her first collegiate occasion. Freshman Teagan O’Dell gained each the 400 IM (4:10.33) and the 200 backstroke (1:55.72), and the Bears gained each relays on the weekend.
 
Returners
This season Cal returns a handful of distinction makers like sophomore Mar-Ambre Moluh, a 2024 Paris Olympian for Team France, who etched her identify into this system’s high 10 lists six completely different occasions as a freshman final 12 months together with the quickest 100 breaststroke time in Cal historical past at 49.68. Compatriot Lilou Ressencourt, a senior, additionally returns after a stellar 2025 through which she broke the highest 10 in each the 100 and 200 butterfly. Abby Herscu will compete in her senior season and lead the breaststroke group after qualifying for the A Final on the 2025 NCAA Championships. She owns the third-best time by a Bear at 2:07.60.
 
New Faces
In addition to these acquainted faces, a robust group of newcomers have joined the roster, together with the highest recruiting class the game has ever seen. According to SwimSwam, Cal is bringing in three of the highest 5 and 5 of the highest 20 recruits within the nation headlined by US National Team members Teagan O’Dell and Claire Weinstein, who’re ranked second and third, respectively. O’Dell involves Berkeley with occasions that may already qualify for the NCAA A last within the 200 IM, 200 backstroke and 200 freestyle, and holds the highest occasions in her class in 4 completely different occasions. Weinstein is coming off of a silver-medal end on the 2024 Paris Olympics as the primary leg of the 800-freestyle relay staff and has a various ability set being aggressive in freestyle races of all distances.
 
Fifth-ranked recruit Annie Jia joins with spectacular occasions within the 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle, and Twelfth-ranked Elle Scott comes because the quickest 100 breaststroker within the class. Ella Cosgrove, who’s ranked 18th, reveals promise within the 200 and 500 freestyle.
 
Coming in at No. 5
The Bears started the season with their highest preseason rating since 2019 at No. 5 within the CSCAA ballot.
 
2024-25 Recap
The Bears had their finest season in three years, putting eighth on the 2025 NCAA Championships. Cal accrued 16 All-American certificates on the meet and set a college document within the 200-yard medley relay. Senior Leah Polonsky had a memorable meet with two top-five finishes, and her 38 whole factors scored was the third most by a Cal ladies’s swimmer at NCAAs previously 10 years. In its first season competing within the ACC – arguably the highest convention within the nation – Cal positioned fourth within the staff standings of the convention meet and produced 5 All-ACC performers. Senior Isabelle Stadden closed out an excellent profession with one other robust season, together with setting Spieker Aquatics Complex information in each the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke.
 
Stay Posted

For extra protection of the Cal ladies’s swimming & diving staff, please observe the Bears on X (@CalWSwim) and Instagram (@calwswim).