#9 Cal (Women) vs. Washington State (Women)
- October 27, 2023
- Spieker Aquatic Complex, Berkeley, California
- Short Course Yards (25 yards)
- Meet Results
- Team Scores:
- #9 Cal W 179-Washington State W 81 (Minor exhibition aided)
- Training suits
The 9th-ranked Cal Golden Bears women touched first in 13 out of 14 events on Friday to kick off its final Pac-12 season. The win moves the Bears to 2-0 in traditional dual meets this season, with Washington State pairing this meet with one across the bay at Stanford a day later.
Lea Polonsky is emerging as the star of the Cal women’s team this season. For the second-straight dual meet, she picked up three individual victories. That included wins in the 200 free (1:47.23), 200 breast (2:13.07), and 200 IM (1:58.99).
In the 200 IM, her specialty of those races (along with the 400 IM), she was nine-tenths of a second slower than she was against Pitt two weeks ago, but is still way ahead of where she was at this point last season.
While she picked up the most wins in the meet, the top swims for the Golden Bears came from Isabelle Stadden and Mia Kragh.
Stadden won the 200 back in 1:52.71, which comes out of the weekend as the second-fastest time in the NCAA, behind only Florida freshman Bella Sims, who swam 1:52.49 against Virginia two weeks ago. Nobody else has been within a second of Stadden’s time.
She also split 24.60 to lead off Cal’s winning 200 medley relay (1:37.26); finished 2nd in the 50 free in 23.01 behind junior teammate McKenna Stone (22.78), and split 49.36 on a Cal 400 free relay that touched first in 3:19.41 (but was exhibitioned).
Along with 5th year Rachel Klinker, Polonsky and Stadden are two of the Golden Bears’ three highest returning scorers from last year’s NCAA Championship meet and their most-recognizable names. But aside from those two, the Bears also return junior Mia Kragh, who was 15th at NCAAs last year in the 100 fly and won that same race ahead of Lizzy Cook on Friday in 52.83.
That’s just off the 52.75 that she swam against Pitt, which ranks her 10th in the NCAA this season.
While Washington State only won one race, it was a big one. Sophomore Dori Hathazi from Hungary won the race that Hungarians have historically excelled in most: the 200 fly. She swam 1:56.43, which broke Washington State’s pre-2023 school record. The old mark was a 1:56.46 done by Michaela Ahlin in 2009 before Hathazi broke it at Pac-12s, swimming 1:55.92.
Washington State head coach Matt Leach called that swim a “surprise” after the team did a full workout the day prior and traveled to Berkeley.
Lizzy Cook of Cal was 2nd in 1:57.26.
Other Standout Swims:
- Cal’s Jade Neser won the 100 breaststroke in 1:00.33 and split 26.79 on their 200 medley relay. That split is already almost as fast as teh 26.67 she swam at NCAAs last year.
- Cal 5th-year Eloise Riley won the 100 free in 49.78, but notably not far behind that pace was Washington State freshman Madison Parker. She touched in 49.83, which is a new personal best time and ranks her among the top 10 swimmers in program history.
This is probably the start point of the return of Cal women.
I predict they will return to top 3 in 2026.
My hot take prediction for this season is that Stadden will win the 2 back at NCAAs.
That’s not a super hot take. She was 3rd behind Claire Curzan (not swimming) and Phoebe Bacon (by a tenth).
I thought it might be hot(ter) since Bella Sims might swim it too, and her best time is faster than Stadden’s. I don’t know though, but I am rooting for Stadden. She deserves that title.
Oh I guess that’s true, I forgot about Bella.
Fun fact: Bella and Bacon have the exact same PB.
Roll on you bears.