Cal Women Swim to 4th at NCAA Meet

Underclassmen lead the way for Golden Bears

Mar. 22, 2026 at 4:04am

The Cal women's swim team climbed from sixth place to fourth on the final day of the NCAA Championships, with freshmen and sophomores accounting for 89 of the team's 104 points on the day. Highlights included a 1-2 finish in the 200-yard individual medley and a school record in the 500 free.

Why it matters

The strong performance by Cal's young swimmers suggests the team is poised for bigger things in the coming seasons, as they continue to build on their success at the NCAA Championships.

The details

Cal placed five entries in finals on Saturday, with freshman Teagan O'Dell and sophomore Mia West finishing second and third in the 200-yard individual medley. Sophomore Mary-Ambre Moluh was sixth in the 100 free, and O'Dell was sixth in the 200 back. The 400 free relay team of West, Moluh, O'Dell and freshman Claire Weinstein touched fourth. On Friday, Weinstein won the 500 free in a school-record time, becoming the first Cal woman in seven years to win an event at the NCAA meet.

  • The NCAA Championships took place on March 20-22, 2026 in Atlanta.
  • Cal scored 104 points on the final day to surge past Tennessee and Michigan and finish fourth overall.

The players

Virginia

The six-time defending national champion, winning the 2026 title with 589 points.

Stanford

The runner-up at the 2026 NCAA Championships with 380.5 points.

Teagan O'Dell

A Cal freshman who finished second in the 200-yard individual medley and sixth in the 200 back.

Mia West

A Cal sophomore who finished third in the 200-yard individual medley.

Claire Weinstein

A Cal freshman and 2024 U.S. Olympian who won the 500 free in a school-record time.

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What’s next

The Cal men's swim team, which has finished among the top-two at the NCAA meet for 15 consecutive seasons, begins competition at the collegiate nationals next Wednesday.

The takeaway

Cal's fourth-place finish at the 2026 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, led by its talented underclassmen, demonstrates the program's bright future and potential to challenge for national titles in the coming years.