BERKELEY, Calif. – Defending national champion California will travel to San Luis Obispo, Calif. on Friday for the season-opening King of the Pool competition at Cal Poly. The meet is set to start at 10 a.m. Friday at Anderson Aquatic Center and features each swimmer taking part in 100-yard races in freestyle, butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke events, as well as a 100-yard individual medley. The swimmer with the lowest combined time will be crowned King of the Pool.
Cal returners Zheng Wen Quah and Bryce Mefford took runner-up and third place at last year with combined times of 4:08.76 and 4:10.94, respectively. Reece Whitley also impressed at the 2018 event with a win in the 100 breast (54.33).
KING OF THE POOL OUTLOOK
Date/Time: Friday, Sept. 20 | 10 a.m.
Location: San Luis Obispo, Calif. (Anderson Aquatic Center)
Live Scoring & Video: N/A
LOADED ROSTER
The Bears will be primed for another run at the NCAA title in 2019-20 as they return a slew of last year’s NCAA qualifiers, including Karl Arvidsson, Connor Callahan (diving) Daniel Carr, Sean Grieshop, Ryan Hoffer, Michael Jensen, Trenton Julian, Mefford, Quah, Pawel Sendyk and Whitely. Cal added 10 freshmen to the mix this season, as well as redshirt sophomore transfer Hugo Gonzalez, the 2018 SEC Freshman of the Year at Auburn.
CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON IN REVIEW
Cal captured the 2019 national title for the sixth time in school history last spring with five NCAA event titles along the way, including three by former Bear Andrew Seliskar in the 200 IM, 200 breast and 200 free. Hoffer captured the 50 free and the Bears won the 200 free relay featuring Sendyk, Hoffer, Jensen and Seliskar.
Cal won its second consecutive Pac-12 Championship en route to the NCAA title as Seliskar was named the league’s Swimmer of the Meet and tallied his record-tying 11th-career Pac-12 individual title. Head coach David Durden was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the third consecutive year and ninth time overall. Seliskar was the Pac-12 Swimmer of the Year and Whitley earned Pac-12 Swimming Freshman of the Year accolades.
NEXT TIME
The Bears’ next competition takes them to Stockton, Calif., for a dual meet at Pacific on Thursday, Oct. 3.
