The California Golden Bears women’s swimming and diving team, currently ranked No. 7 nationally, will resume its 2025-26 season with two dual meets in Los Angeles. The team is scheduled to compete against No. 11 USC on Friday at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center and UCLA on Saturday at the Spieker Aquatics Center.
USC enters the meet with a strong record of 6-1 this season, with its only loss coming to No. 9 Indiana. Last week, USC secured wins over UC San Diego and UNLV in a double dual. UCLA, while not in the top 25 but receiving votes, holds a 1-1-1 dual record after earning its first win of the season against Iowa.
Cal’s underclassmen have contributed significantly this season by posting 12 top-10 times in school history across four meets. Freshmen Claire Weinstein, Teagan O’Dell, and Silje Slyngstadli have accounted for all of these performances. Slyngstadli achieved the second-fastest time ever for Cal in the 100-yard breaststroke at 58.70 seconds.
Earlier this season at the Minnesota Invitational, Cal finished first among six teams and won all 18 events as well as every A final. Freshman Claire Weinstein claimed victory in five events and stood on the podium six times during that meet.
The Bears began their current campaign with a win at UC San Diego’s Triton Invitational, where they topped several teams including Stanford and finished with more than a 300-point margin over second place. Notable performances included freshman Silje Slyngstadli winning both breaststroke events with NCAA qualifying times and Claire Weinstein recording one of Cal’s fastest-ever marks in the 500-yard freestyle.
Returning athletes include sophomore Mar-Ambre Moluh—who represented France at the Paris Olympics—and senior Lilou Ressencourt who excelled last year in butterfly events. Senior Abby Herscu returns to lead the breaststroke group after her A Final appearance at last year’s NCAA Championships.
Cal has also added new talent from what SwimSwam calls “the top recruiting class” nationally, bringing three of the country’s top five recruits: Teagan O’Dell, Claire Weinstein (a silver medalist from Paris), and Annie Jia among others.
The Bears started their season ranked No. 5—their highest preseason ranking since 2019—and finished eighth overall at last year’s NCAA Championships while setting a program record in the medley relay event.
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