Bears to dive head-first at Chick-fil-A Invitational
Following its season opener at Cal Poly’s Queen of the Pool meet, the Cal women’s swim and dive team is moving steadily into the 2021-22 season with its next contest: the Chick-fil-A Invitational.
Traveling to Fresno, the Bears will dive into competitive territory as they face off against the likes of UCLA, San Diego State and host Fresno State in Friday and Saturday’s daytime meets.
The Bears have quite the decorated history to live up to if they wish to outshine their past selves. At this same meet in 2019, Cal came home victorious in every relay, accompanied by wins in 13 individual events. Thus, the test of time is on the line for Cal –– has it improved over these past two years? If so, will it embrace perfection once again?
So far, the season has been promising for the team. Though only one meet has showcased the Bears’ unmatched skills, it is evident that the team dove in right where it left off last year as Pac-12 champions and fourth-rank finishers at the NCAA championships.
These awards and accolades are proof of the immeasurable talent Cal has and were the backbone of the team’s many successes at the Tokyo Olympics. Head coach Teri McKeever traveled to Japan and participated in the games alongside current Cal senior Alicia Wilson (Great Britain, eighth 200-meter IM) and senior Ema Rajić (Croatia, 100 breast/50 free).
The training these swimmers underwent for the games clearly prepared them for the current season, as evidenced by their performances in their first meet. For the rest of the fall season, Cal hopes to continue establishing a reign over its opponents.
In this exciting season already rich with wins and success, the Bears are looking forward to their competition in Fresno. They plan on channeling their achievements at this upcoming meet to push themselves harder than ever before.
The Bears’ hopeful victories will be livestreamed on the Mountain West Network and will be open for Cal fans to potentially relish in the success of one of UC Berkeley’s most legendary sports teams.
Alisa Steel covers men’s golf and women’s swim and dive. Contact her at asteel@dailycal.org.