No. 5 Bears Set For NCAA Championships

The No. 5 California males’s swimming & diving crew is about for the 2026 NCAA Championships this week on the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta. The four-day meet, which is being held on the identical web site as this yr’s ACC Championships, begins Wednesday morning and wraps up Saturday night. Prelims will begin at 7 a.m. PT every day with the finals coming at 3 p.m. PT.

Last season the Golden Bears positioned second as a crew for his or her fifteenth consecutive top-two end at NCAA Championships.

Meet Information

Wednesday, March 25 – Saturday, March 28

NCAA Championships

McAuley Aquatic Center | Atlanta, Georgia

Championship Central

Live Stream: ESPN+

Live Results: Meet Mobile

 

Schedule of Events

Wednesday, March 25

1,650 Free, 200 Medley Relay, 800 Free Relay

Thursday, March 26

100 Fly, 400 IM, 200 Free, 100 Breast, 200 Free Relay, 1M Diving

Friday, March 27

100 Back, 200 Breast, 500 Free, 50 Free, 400 Medley Relay, 3M Diving

Saturday, March 28

200 IM, 100 Free, 200 Fly, 200 Back, 400 Free Relay, Platform Diving

CAL’S QUALIFIERS

Lucca Battaglini – 100 FR SCY, 50 FR SCY

Ryan Erisman – 1650 FR SCY, 400 IM SCY, 500 FR SCY

Luca Pusateri Gissendaner – 100 BR SCY

Jackson Jones – 200 FR SCY

Freddy Klein – 1650 FR SCY, 400 IM SCY

Humberto Najera – 200 BK SCY

Yamato Okadome – 200 BR SCY, 100 BR SCY

Eduardo Moraes – 500 FR SCY

Evan Petty – 100 BK SCY

Casper Puggaard – 200 FL SCY

Hank Rivers – 100 BR SCY, 200 BR SCY

Nathan Wiffen – 1650 FR SCY, 500 FR SCY

Martin Wrede – 50 FR SCY, 100 FR SCY

Joshua Thai – 1M Diving, 3M Diving

Geoffrey Vavitsas – Platform Diving

ACC CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Golden Bears gained their second ACC championship in as a few years since becoming a member of the convention, outdistancing rival Stanford on the ultimate day to take house the 2026 crown. Unlike final yr when the Bears gained the crew title by over 200 factors of their inaugural season within the ACC, Cal was pushed all through the week by its pursuers. The Bears ended up with a 78-point margin of victory over runner-up Stanford.

TIMES: The Bears function seven instances that rank within the high 10 nationally this season, together with two by sophomore Yamato Okadome (100 breaststroke, No. 3 – 50.48; 200 breaststroke, No. 4 – 1:50.04). Nathan Wiffen has the fourth-ranked time within the 1,650 freestyle (1:41.69), freshman Ryan Erisman is sixth within the 1,000 free (8:43.48), sophomore Lucca Battaglini is No. 7 within the 50 free (18.78) and senior Evan Petty ranks tenth within the 100 backstroke (44.83). Cal’s 200 medley relay crew of Battaglini, Okadome, Casper Puggaard and Nans Mazellier recorded the seventh-best time of the season at 1:22.33.

CLIMBING THE RANKS: In addition to placing up among the greatest marks within the nation this season, a number of Golden Bears have additionally made their mark on this system file e book in 2025-26.

The new members of Cal’s all-time top-10 listing embody:

• 50 free – Lucca Battaglini, No. 6 – 18.78
• 100 free – Lucca Battaglini, No. 6 – 41.56
• 500 free – Ryan Erisman, No. 8 – 4:12.78
• 1,000 free – Ryan Erisman, No. 1 – 8:43.48; Nathan Wiffen – No. 6, 8:50.30; Eduardo Moreas – No 9, 8:54.09
• 1,650 free – Nathan Wiffen, No. 6 – 1:41.69
• 100 again – Evan Petty, No. 6 – 44.83
• 100 breast – Yamato Okadome, No. 2 – 50.48; Luca Pusateri Gissendaner, No. 7 – 51.25
• 200 breast – Yamato Okadome, No. 4 – 1:50.04
• 100 butterfly – Lucca Battaglini, No. 10 – 45.39
• 1-meter dive – Jack Clark, No. 5 – 324.40
• 200 medley relay – Lucca Battaglini, Yamato Okadome, Casper Puggaard, Nans Mazellier, No. 7 – 1:22.33 

BIG BAT: Sophomore Lucca Battaglini has emerged as one of many high dash freestylers within the nation this season, compiling high 11 instances nationally in each the 50 free and 100 free. Battaglini registered each of his high instances on the Minnesota Invitational in December, ripping off a blistering 18.78 within the 50 free – which is the seventh-fastest time within the nation this season and No. 6 all time at Cal – in addition to a 41.56 within the 100 free, good for No. 11 nationally in 2025-26 and in addition No. 6 in program historical past. Battaglini was additionally a part of the Bears’ 200 medley relay crew that swam a 1:22.33 in Minnesota, which is No. 7 this season and all time at Cal.

ODE TO OKADOME: Sophomore Yamato Okadome is following up on a stellar freshman season with a powerful encore as a sophomore, having registered 4 nationwide top-10 instances and setting a pair of pool information at Spieker Aquatics Complex. In addition to clocking the third-fastest 100 breast (50.48) and fourth-fastest 200 breast (1:50.04) instances within the NCAA this yr on the Minnesota Invitational, the 2025 ACC Freshman of the Year posted a 50.89 within the 100 breast and a 1:51.66 within the 200 breast within the crew’s double-dual with Stanford and Arizona State to set new requirements at Spieker.

RIGHT ON, RYAN: The Bears have one other freshman of the yr candidate in Ryan Erisman, who made a right away affect on this system when he set the varsity file within the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 8:43.48 throughout a tri-meet towards Stanford and Arizona State. That’s the sixth-best mark within the nation this season within the occasion. Erisman additionally registered the No. 8 all-time mark at Cal within the 500 free with a time of 4:12.78.

PERPETUAL EXCELLENCE: The Bears positioned second ultimately yr’s NCAA Championships, marking a staggering fifteenth consecutive season they’ve completed both first or second nationally. Cal has gained six nationwide titles throughout that span.

REIGNING CONFERENCE KINGS

In its first season as a member of the ACC, Cal showcased its dominance all through the 2024-25 season. The Bears gained their first-ever ACC title in a wire-to-wire end, which included six occasion crowns on the 2025 ACC Swimming & Diving Championships. Cal had 9 student-athletes obtain All-ACC honors in no less than one occasion whereas in whole the Bears completed among the many high three in 12 totally different occasions. Cal additionally swept the convention’s swimming awards – Lucas Henveaux and Yamato Okadome have been tabbed the ACC Swimmer of the Year and Freshman of the Year, respectively, whereas David Durden walked away with ACC Coach of the Year honor.

U.S NATIONAL TEAM

Seven present and former Bears have been named to the 2025-2026 U.S National Team roster, introduced by USA Swimming. The roster consists of Jack Alexy, Ryan Erisman, Gabriel Jett, Keaton Jones, Trenton Julian, Destin Lasco and Dare Rose.

STAY POSTED

For full protection of Cal males’s swimming and diving, please observe the Bears on X (@CalMenSwim), Instagram (@CalMenSwim) and Facebook (Facebook.com/CalMensSwimmingandDiving).