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Everything Cal Sports

[bearterritory]

Cal Breezes Thru Day 1 of Championships

Advances All Varsity Eights to Semifinals

Varsity Four To Grand Final

SACRAMENTO – The No. 2 California men's rowing team breezed through its first day at the 2026 IRA National Championship on Lake Natoma in Sacramento. All three varsity eights won their heats to advance to the AB semifinals, while the varsity four posted the fastest time-trial of the morning session before winning its ABC semifinal in the afternoon session to punch its ticket to the Grand Final.   The varsity eight set the tone for the Golden Bears in their first race of the morning with a comfortable four-second margin over runner-up Dartmouth. Cal jumped out to the front of the field early and held a solid advantage for the entirety of the race, looking composed down the stretch as the boat cruised to the heat victory with a final time of 5:41.650.   Cal's 2V8+ battled it out with Syracuse in the Bears' second event of the day. The Bears and the Orange were neck-and-neck through the first 500 meters before Cal began to pull away from Syracuse at the midway point of the race. Cal had a two-second advantage heading into the final sprint and maintained the lead over Syracuse to clinch the heat victory with a final time of 5:45.150.   The Bears' 3V8+ kept things rolling to close out Cal's sweep of its varsity eight heats, putting up a final time of 5:52.000. Cal took command of the race early on, pulling out to a five-second advantage over a trailing Penn at the 1000-meter mark. The Quakers made a push in the final sprint to close the gap, but it was not enough to overcome the Bears who finished with nearly a three-second margin of victory.

The varsity four came out hot in its time-trial, posting a final time of 6:05.970 – over six and a half seconds quicker than the next-fastest crew – to advance to the ABC semifinal in the afternoon session. The Bears won their ABC semifinal with a time of 6:30.220 – over three and a half seconds faster than Princeton in second place – to clinch a spot in the Grand Final.   RESULTS: V8+ 1. California – 5:41.650 2. Dartmouth – 5:45.760 3. Yale – 5:48.870 4. Columbia – 5:54.260 5. Georgetown – 5:58.100 6. UCSD – 6:06.620   2V8+ 1. California – 5:45.150 2. Syracuse – 5:47.260 3. Yale – 5:48.990 4. Boston – 5:52.140 5. Georgetown – 6:04.340 6. La Salle – 6:07.230   3V8+ 1. California – 5:52.000 2. Penn – 5:54.750 3. Northeastern – 5:56.710 4. Navy – 5:58.270 5. Holy Cross – 6:07.860   V4+ Time-Trial: 6:05.970   ABC Semifinal 1. California – 6:30.220 2. Princeton – 6:34.090 3. Syracuse – 6:39.200 4. Cornell – 6:43.710 5. Colgate – 6:46.910 6. Stetson – 6:49.570   LINEUPS: V8+ Coxswain: Michael Kain 8. Maximilian Pfautsch 7. Tobias Kristensen 6. Pablo Moreno 5. Alexander Baroni 4. Gennaro di Mauro 3. Noah Anger 2. Nemanja Luledzija 1. Tom O'Sullivan   2V8+ Coxswain: Ethan Nghiem 8. Leo Rosenquist 7. Eddie Bayfield 6. Osian James 5. Rory Menzies 4. Xavier Gagnon 3. Josh Knight 2. Tim Roth 1. Matthew Waddell   3V8+ Coxswain: Austin Chen 8. Mihajlo Dedic 7. Flynn English 6. Dan Bradbery 5. Nat Gauden 4. Evan Gold 3. Jeremy Beale 2. Thomas Heerding 1. James O'Meara   V4+ Coxswain: Mackenzie Fox 4. Chris Weiss 3. William McClean 2. Leo Shetler 1. Charlie Warren 1. California – 5:52.000 2. Penn – 5:54.750 3. Northeastern – 5:56.710 4. Navy – 5:58.270 5. Holy Cross – 6:07.860  

[bearterritory]

Cal Wins Thriller, Takes Series with Stanford

Bears Top Cardinal for Second Night in a Row

BERKELEY— Playing in front of a packed Stu Gordon Stadium crowd, the California baseball team earned yet another thrilling win over rival Stanford this weekend on Senior Day. The 2-1 victory on top of the 4-3 win the night before gave Cal the series win and bragging rights in the Bay Area for the season

Clutch hitting and yet another stellar performance by the bullpen lifted the Golden Bears (29-25, 12-18 ACC) over the Cardinal (27-25, 13-17 ACC) in a game that showcased quality play of Cal's seniors to keep the crowd of just under 1,500 on its toes until the final strike.

Gavin Eddy got the ball to start in the rubber match and turned in yet another strong performance allowing just one earned run to score on sac fly in the third inning on his fifth straight quality start. He scattered five hits and three walks while striking out five. The sophomore found himself in trouble on multiple occasions but continued to get his way out of the jams, stranding a total of seven Cardinal on the base paths, five of which were in scoring position.   In the bottom of the seventh the Bears got on the board and took the lead for good with one swing of the bat. After center fielder Ethan Kodama led-off with a double and right fielder Gannon Snyder laid down a picturesque bunt single, Cal was in business, but Stanford killed that momentum getting an out at the plate for the third time this series to keep the Bears scoreless.   First baseman and graduate student Daniel Murillo collected a two-out single to load the bases for senior third baseman Cade Campbell. In his final at-bat at The Stu, Campbell took the first pitch he saw to center field for a two-run single.

Seniors Cole Clark and Ethan Foley did the rest, combining for three shutout, one-hit innings. Clark went two full with a strikeout to pick up the win and Foley had a one-two-three ninth inning to pick up his second straight save and fourth of the season.

The Bears have now defeated the Cardinal in five of the last six meetings since both schools joined the ACC.

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Bears Excel at NCAA Regionals

Cal Sending 4 Track & Field Athletes to Eugene

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. –Two women from the California track and field team concluded events at John McDonnell Field on Saturday, with sophomore Inara Ukawuba (100m hurdles) and freshman Avery Hart (triple jump) as the Golden Bears' final competitors at the NCAA Outdoor West Regionals. 

Hart finished with a wind-aided personal best performance of 12.90m (42-4) in the triple jump while Ukawuba capped off her 2026 season by clocking in a personal best time of 13.07 to finish as the No.3 all-time 100m hurdler in program history. Ukawuba improved her wind-legal personal record by .30 seconds and her all-time conditions personal record by .10 seconds.  

Cal will send four individuals to Eugene. Ore., for the NCAA Outdoor Championships on June 10-13. Out of the four qualified individuals, three will make their first career NCAA Outdoor Championship appearance.

In a sensational season so far, redshirt junior Seth Johnson pre-qualified for his first career NCAA Outdoor Championship as the current No. 6 all-time decathlete in Cal history. He is the first Bear to qualify in a decathlon event since Hakim McMorris in 2022. Sophomore Trevor Rodgers is the program's first male long jumper to qualify in 11 years. After his regionals performance, Rodgers posted his personal-best leap at 7.76m/25-5.5 - the No. 10 mark in Cal history. On the second day of regionals, a pair of Bears punched their tickets to the season finale -  Valentina Savva (hammer) and Ali Sahaida (pole vault). Savva, the ACC women's hammer champion, threw a remarkable 69.18m (227-0) in her second attempt to make her second consecutive outdoor championship appearance. Sahaida is the first Cal women's pole vaulter to qualify for both the NCAA Indoor and NCAA Outdoor Championships in the same year since Lauren Martinez in 2018. She is also the Bears' first women's pole vaulter to advance since 2023. Sahaida finished regionals with a mark of 4.43m/14-6.25 to punch her ticket to Eugene. 

[bearterritory]

Cal Takes 2nd @ MPSF

Less than 2 seconds from Championship

Cal's 3V8+, V4+, Freshmen 8+ Notch Victories

SACRAMENTO – The No. 2 California men's rowing team's varsity eight was the runner-up at the 2026 MPSF Championship behind No. 1 Washington on Sunday morning at Lake Natoma in Sacramento. The Golden Bears' third varsity eight, varsity four and freshmen eight each notched victories, while the second varsity eight finished in second place behind the Huskies in its race.   Strong winds on Lake Natoma provided a challenge for the crews in their quest for the conference crown. Six programs featured at the competition, three of which have their varsity eights ranked in the latest weekly IRCA/IRA Coach's Poll: No. 1 Washington, No. 2 Cal and No. 5 Stanford. Oregon State, UC San Diego and British Columbia rounded out the competition field.   The freshmen squared off with Washington in a head-to-head race to start the morning. In similar fashion to their performance at The Dual just a few weeks ago, the Bears took control of the race early and handled the Huskies by a solid margin. The F8+ finished the course in 6:05.482, outdistancing Washington by five seconds.   Cal's varsity four took on Washington and Oregon State in the second race of the day. The Bears and the Huskies separated from the Beavers early on, with Cal taking about a one-seat lead at the 500-meter mark. The Huskies evened things out at the midway point of the race, but Cal responded well and took back the advantage. Cal maintained a slight lead through the third 500 meters, but it was neck-and-neck as the final stretch of the course approached. The two crews were stroke-for-stroke in the final sprint, but Cal pushed ahead and won the race by a two-second margin with a final time of 6:37.807.   In the 3V8+ race, Cal came off the blocks strong, pulling out to the front of the field, which included Washington, Stanford, British Columbia and Oregon State. Cal and Washington began to separate from the pack, but the Bears had a four-seat advantage over the Huskies at the first 500-meter mark. Cal was steady through the next quarter of the race and maintained the lead by about half a boat-length at the 1500-meter mark. Washington charged hard in the final 500 meters and cut the deficit, but the Bears won in a photo-finish with a time of 5:49.578 to Washington's 5:49.938.   "The freshmen winning again after a very tumultuous three weeks was impressive. Huge credit goes to Brandon Shald for that success," Cal head coach Scott Frandsen said. "I was also impressed with the really close racing in the four and the 3V8+. I'm proud of how those guys dug in those final meters and were able to hold onto some pretty close victories. It's a great show of our depth to be able to have the quality of those boats, racing so composed to the win."   Cal, Washington and British Columbia pulled to the front of the field at the start of the second varsity eight race. Cal had inched ahead at the 500-meter mark, but Washington responded and it was bow ball-to-bow ball as the midway point of the race approached. The Huskies pulled ahead by a couple of seats at the 1000-meter mark, but Cal continued to pace them down the stretch. The Bears put the pressure on in the final sprint and closed the gap to a two-second margin, finishing in second place with a time of 5:47.312 behind Washington's 5:45.416 time.  

In the race for the MPSF crown, Cal's varsity eight started off strong, pulling to a two-seat lead over Washington in second place at the first 500-meter mark. The competition was fierce as the top three boats – Cal, Washington and Stanford – maintained contact through the first 1000 meters. Cal held on to its two-seat advantage with halfway to go. Washington began to push in the third 500 meters, leveling with Cal as the two boats broke contact with Stanford. The Bears and the Huskies battled down the final stretch and Washington took a two-seat lead into the final sprint. Cal put the pressure on Washington, but it was not enough to outdistance the Huskies, who finished the course in 5:40.476 ahead of the Bears in 5:42.463 to lift the trophy.   "I think we've progressed really well in the last couple of weeks and improved in our top two boats, and we will need to continue to do that as we prepare the IRAs," Frandsen said. "The standard of West Coast rowing is incredibly high, and that's the competitive world we want to live in – and we need – in order to get faster."     Cal will now get ready for the 2026 IRA National Championship which will be held at the same location this weekend.

RESULTS V8+ 1. Washington – 5:40.476 2. California – 5:42.463 3. Stanford – 5:47.427 4. British Columbia – 6:03.539 5. UC San Diego – 6:07.307 6. Oregon State – 6:08.296   2V8+ 1. Washington – 5:45.416 2. California – 5:47.312 3. Stanford – 5:52.411 4. British Columbia – 6:07.599 5. Oregon State – 6:15.454 6. UC San Diego – 6:19.303   3V8+ 1. California – 5:49.578 2. Washington – 5:49.938 3. Stanford – 6:06.252 4. British Columbia – 6:10.719 5. Oregon State – 6:24.554   V4+ 1. California – 6:37.807 2. Washington – 6:39.121 3. Oregon State – 7:25.067   F8+ 1. California – 6:05.482 2. Washington – 6:10.923   LINEUPS V8+ Coxswain: Michael Kain 8. Maximilian Pfautsch 7. Alexander Baroni 6. Nemanja Luledzija 5. Tobias Kristensen 4. Gennaro di Mauro 3. Noah Anger 2. Pablo Moreno 1. Tom O'Sullivan   2V8+ Coxswain: Ethan Nghiem 8. Leo Rosenquist 7. Eddie Bayfield 6. Osian James 5. Matthew Waddell 4. Xavier Gagnon 3. Josh Knight 2. Tim Roth 1. Rory Menzies   3V8+ Coxswain: Austin Chen 8. Mihajlo Dedic 7. Flynn English 6. Dan Bradbery 5. Nat Gauden 4. Evan Gold 3. Jeremy Beale 2. Thomas Heerding 1. Leo Shetler   V4+ Coxswain: Teddy Hibbard 4. Johannes Benien 3. Peter Spira 2. James O'Meara 1. Chris Weiss   Freshmen 8+ Coxswain: Mackenzie Fox 8. Lucas Salazar   7. Alex Monissen 6. Peter Fetter 5. William McClean 4. Max Campbell-Reide 3. Nicolas Leach 2. Forrester Clark IV 1. Jackson Hall

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.— The California baseball team came from behind to win a slugfest rubber match over No. 23 Virginia 8-7 at Disharoon Field to claim its first ranked series of the season.   The Golden Bears (27-24, 10-17 ACC) used seven pitchers and three long balls to stave off a five-home run effort by the Cavaliers (33-19, 13-15 ACC). Host UVA outhit Cal 11-7 but left six on base while the Bears were incredibly efficient stranding just one and getting its eight runs from eight different hitters.   For the first time this week the Bears fell behind with the Hoos getting three two-out home runs through the first three innings to go up 4-0. Cal senior Ethan Foley earned his second straight start and gave up those four runs on seven hits in four innings of work while striking out three.   The Cal offense was quiet the first time through the order, but the bottom half of the lineup got the Bears going in the fifth inning with centerfielder Ethan Kodama collecting a sac-fly from the eighth spot. With two outs, right fielder and nine-hole hitter Gannon Snyder stepped to the plate and belted his first home run of the season, a two-run shot that cut the lead to 4-3.

The Cavaliers answered right back in the bottom half with yet another two-out home run to extend their lead to 5-3, but Cal first baseman Daniel Murillo had a retaliation of his own in store cranking a 423-foot solo home run to left field in the top of the sixth to bring it back to a one-run game. It was Murillo's 11th home run of the season and second hit of the day as he finished the day 2-for-4.   Cal needed three pitchers to get out of the sixth inning as after Jordy Lopez and Ryan Spalliero got the first two outs of the frame, Virginia loaded the bases and once again threatened to extend its lead with two outs. In came senior Cole Clark, the hero from Friday's win who had a three-inning scoreless save. In a 2-2 count Clark induced a ground ball that looked like it would leak into the outfield, but freshman second baseman Brady Errecart made the play of his young career catching up to the ball in the grass and popping up to make the inning-ending throw to first. Clark (3-3) would pick up the win in his 0.1 innings of work.

[bearterritory]

Bears Throttle Panthers

Cal Breaks it Open in 4th, Cruises Past Pitt

PITTSBURGH – The California softball team defeated Pittsburgh, 11-0, in five innings on Saturday afternoon at Vartabedian Field. Taylor Peacock (2-4) tossed a complete-game shutout, while the Golden Bears' offense produced 11 runs on 10 hits to force a rubber match.   After two scoreless innings, Cal broke through with three runs in the third to take a 3-0 lead. The Bears capitalized on a throwing error to get on the board before Madison Rey drove in a run on a bunt single. Kayli Counts added a sacrifice fly to deep center to cap the inning.   Cal put the game out of reach in the fourth, erupting for eight runs to extend the lead to 11-0. Natalie Marshall opened the scoring with her first home run of the season, a no-doubter to left field. Emma Jackson later scored on a wild pitch, and Rey added an RBI single to keep the inning going. Counts punctuated the frame with a grand slam to left-center.   Peacock closed out the final two innings, keeping the Panthers (25-24) off the board to secure the shutout.

[bearterritory]

Cal Upsets Kentucky 4-3

Bears Advancing to Second Round

Columbus – In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the No. 42 California Golden Bears (17-13) defeated the No. 26 Kentucky Wildcats (17-14), 4-3, in Columbus today.

To begin the day, the Bears quickly seized the doubles point advantage with a 7-5 victory on court two by Tiago Silva and Fryderyk Lechno-Wasiutynski. Then, after falling on court one, Cal forced a tiebreaker on court three before ultimately surrendering the decisive seventh point and doubles point.

In singles, Bernardo Munk Mesa quickly evened the match at one with a straight-set victory on court three. After falling on court six, Paris Pouatcha once again evened the match at two points a piece after he won, 6-4, 6-2 on court four. Then, after dropping its third point on court two, Timofey Stepanov upset the 23rd-ranked singles player in the country in a straight-set 7-5, 6-4 victory on court one.

Finally, on court five, Lenn Luemkemann cemented the upset victory to propel the Bears to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Singles

Stepanov def. No. 23 Stephenson- 7-5, 6-4

No. 59 Arseneault def. Silva - 6-4, 6-3

Munk Mesa def. Weekes - 7-5, 6-0

Pouatcha def. Cosnet - 6-4, 6-2

Luemkemann def. No. 82 Loutit - 6-2, 4-6, 6-1

Arseneault def. Lee - 6-1, 6-2

Doubles

No. 16 Stephenson/Loutit def. No. 30 Aney/Stepanov - 7-5

Silva/Lechno-Wasiutynski def. No. 85 Braysach/Cosnet- 7-5

Arseneault/Weekes def. Pouatcha/Munk Mesa - 7(7)-6(5) (Clinch)

Order of Completion: Singles: 3, 6, 4, 2, 1, 5 Doubles: 2, 1, 3

[bearterritory]

Bears Win National Championship

Finish Another Perfect Undefeated Season

Cal Defeats Navy For 30th XV’s Title

INDIANAPOLIS - The California rugby team won their second straight national championship, defeating the United States Naval Academy 36-22 at Kuntz Stadium. Five different players scored six tries in the victory. This is the Bears 30th XVs championship title and 35th overall, including its five sevens titles. The crowning victory is Golden Bears' head coach Jack Clark's milestone 31st national title, 26 of which are in 15-a-side competition.   "Our best wishes to Navy, they're tough men and good players," head coach Jack Clark said. "I hope this doesn't sound arrogant, but I had great trust in our team today. I believed we would play for each other and expand into the moment. I was a little worried that I wasn't my normal worried self."   The Golden Bears opened the scoring in the first minute as a Navy turnover was picked up by sophomore Oliver Teague. Teague broke three tackles en route to the try line, walking in untouched for Cal's first score of the game.   Navy answered back in the 12th minute as flyhalf Michael Strehle found Jake Cornelius who punched it across the try line to even the score.   The Bears forced a Navy penalty inside the Midshipmen five meter line, winning back possession in the 21st minute. Senior Solomon Williams passed the ball wide to Masi Koi, who sprinted ahead of the Navy defense, breaking two tackles to cross midfield. The Bears forced another Navy penalty, kicking the ball inside the 22 for a lineout. Finley received the lineout, giving the ball back to Cade Crist, who mauled forward for the Cal try, giving them back the lead 12-5.   Cal extended their lead in the 26th minute as a strong run from Rand Santos set up Cal inside the 22. A high tackle penalty on Navy sent John Mansino off with a yellow card. Cal took advantage of the penalty, as sophomore Seamus Deely punched in a try. Sophomore Filip Edstrom made the conversion, putting Cal up 19-5.   Cal earned an attacking scrum in the 35th minute. Teague found Williams who flipped a pass to Koi. Koi used his speed, sprinting through the defense and side stepping a Navy defender all the way to the try line, extending the Cal lead to 26-5 heading into the halftime break after Edstrom banked in the conversion attempt off the post.

A high tackle by Cal set up a Navy penalty kick in the 45th minute as Roanin Krieger converted, cutting the lead to 26-8.   In the 48th minute, the Bears struck again as Santos found Oliver Newall. Newall passed the ball behind his back to Threlkeld, who found junior Nate Comiskey. Comiskey ran through the try line for his team leading 22nd try of the season to put Cal up 31-8.   In the 51st minute, the referee went to his pocket, giving Newall a yellow card, putting Cal down one man. 10 minutes later, Crist was given a yellow card, putting Cal down two men, and Navy took advantage of the numbers as substitute Tanner Call punched in a try to cut the Cal lead to 31-15. Another try from Navy in the 68th minute cut the Cal lead to 31-22 with 12 minutes left.   The Bears held onto possession late, forcing multiple Navy turnovers, and Comiskey scored his second try of the game with one minute left, sealing the victory.   "First off, all the respect to Navy," captain Rand Santos said. "They are a super tough team, they were tenacious, they played the full 80 minutes. It's always a tough matchup to go against Navy, and I'm super proud of the boys for what we accomplished."   "I'm speechless," vice captain Solomon Williams remarked. "This feeling, this group, this journey, the support system we have, all the family, friends, alumni, I mean everyone has supported us throughout this journey, and we can't thank all those people enough. Coach Clark and Coach Billups are absolute legends and to have them leading us in the front it's a blessing. This whole season has been special, we have an extremely talented group and it's hard to put into words how much this means."   Cal finishes the season with an undefeated record for the first time since the 2010-2011 season at 17-0.    "A perfect season is what we set out for back in August," vice captain Cade Crist said. "To accomplish that means the world. For the seniors that have been here for four years and worked their butt off, it's a great way to cap off our college careers."   Scoring Timeline: Cal vs. Navy 1:00 – Oliver Teague, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2 12:00 – Jake Cornelius, 5 (Navy) 21:00 – Cade Crist, 5 26:00 – Seamus Deely, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2 34:00 – Masi Koi, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2 Half: Cal, 26, Navy, 5 44:00 – Roanin Krieger, 3 (Navy) 48:00 – Nate Comiskey, 5 61:00 – Tanner Call, 5, Roanin Krieger, 2 (Navy) 68:00 – Andrew Baublitz, 5, Roanin Krieger, 2 (Navy) 79:00 – Nate Comiskey, 5 Final: Cal, 36, Navy, 22   Starting XV: 1. Oliver Kirk 2. Alex Vieira 3. Cade Crist 4. Byron Finley (Talae Tuimaunei 68') 5. Seamus Deely 6. Brice Muller 7. Ryan Wenstrom (Elliott Lewis 79') 8. Oliver Teague 9. Solomon Williams 10. Rand Santos 11. Masi Koi 12. Filip Edstrom 13. Max Threlkeld 14. Nate Comiskey 15. Oliver Newall    

[bearterritory]

Cal Tops Virginia Tech 9-4

Prather Homers Twice As Offense Wakes Up

BERKELEY— Fueled by a two-homer day from Hideki Prather and a quality start by Ethan Foley, the California baseball team defeated Virginia Tech 9-4 yesterday at Stu Gordon Stadium.   For the first time this week, Cal (25-23) jumped out to a lead with a five-spot on four hits in the second inning. After a lead-off single by Carl Schmidt and a walk by Kalen Applefield, Brady Errecart stepped to the plate with the bunt sign on. After failing to get one down the freshman pulled his bat back with two strikes and kept his career weekend going with an RBI single to drive in his first collegiate run.   Ethan Kodama was next, dropping down an RBI sac-bunt before Prather crushed his first home run of the day to left field, a three-run shot that gave Cal a 5-0 lead.

After giving up a two-run home run in the third inning Foley (4-3) struck out four straight batters and hung a zero in the fourth enroute to Cal's third quality start of the series. The senior ended with three earned runs in 6.0 innings pitched in the win and scattered seven hits and a walk while striking out seven.   In the bottom of the fourth, nine-hole hitter Gannon Snyder turned the lineup over with a two-out, four-pitch walk to bring Prather up to the plate. The catcher wasted no time taking the first pitch he saw to deep left field to make it a 7-2 ball game with five RBI coming off the junior's bat. Prather is now tied with Daniel Murillo for the team lead in home runs at 10.   The Hokies (26-21) punched back with a run in the fifth and had a good opportunity to tack on another in the sixth but saw the inning end on a spectacular outfield assist by Kalen Applefield. The sophomore fielded a ball in shallow right field and gunned down a runner trying to go from first to third on the fly.   Freshman right hander Otto Espinoza took over for the Bears in the seventh and did not disappoint in his ninth relief appearance of the season with 2.2 innings of one-hit, one-run ball to preserve Cal's lead. Fellow freshman Cade Colombara would be called upon to get the final out of the series and did so on a strikeout.   In the bottom of the eighth Schmidt led off with a walk drawn on a full count and Taichi Nakao stepped to the plate in a pinch-hitting opportunity. Deja-vu struck the Hokies' defense as after Nakao could not lay down a bunt he pulled the bat back and singled up the middle on an 0-2 count. Two at-bats later Kodama drove in Nakao on an RBI single and Cal's ninth and final run came around to score on an error by VT.   Virginia Tech led off the top of the ninth with a long fly ball that was heading for the wall but Snyder, who had just been moved to right field, kept the ball in the park robbing what would've been a momentum-building solo shot. Despite the wind getting knocked out of their sails, the Hokies played to the final out loading the bases with two gone but only got one across to make the final score 9-4.

 Errecart, who picked up his first career hit Sunday, his first extra-base hit Monday and first RBI yesterday, wrapped up a solid series going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs in the finale. The freshman made the absolute most of his opportunity helping the short-handed Bears this weekend with five hits, four runs and two stolen bases. He had at least one hit and one run in all three games.

[bearterritory]

#8 Cal Takes Care of #9 Long Beach

Advances with Thrilling 3-2 Victory

Bears Move on to Quarterfinals of NCAA Championship

GULF SHORES, Ala. – The No. 8 California beach volleyball team extended it season in dramatic fashion this weekend, getting past No. 9 Long Beach State 3-2 after a thrilling three-set victory on Court 4 lifted the Golden Bears to victory in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Championship.

Cal's No. 4 pair of senior Gia Fisher and junior Ava Haughy overcame three LBSU match points to ultimately pull out a 15-21, 21-19, 18-16 victory to set off a memorable Golden Bear celebration.

Cal's No. 1 pair of senior Portia Sherman and junior Emma Donley and No. 3 duo of seniors Mila Vugrincic and Jenna Colligan also registered victories for the Golden Bears, who will now advance to the quarterfinals. Sherman and Donley dropped the first set only to come back for a 21-23, 21-15, 15-11 win. Vugrincic and Colligan breezed to a 21-18, 21-10 triumph.

Fisher and Haughy fell behind 5-1 in the third set with the dual tied 2-2 before clawing back to take a 9-8 lead. After the pair extended its advantage to 12-10, the 49ers called timeout and proceeded to score four unanswered points to give themselves double dual point at 14-12. The Bears responded with three straight points of their own, and the pairs then went back and forth before a hitting error gave Cal the victory.

It marked the third time in their five-year NCAA Championship run that the Bears have won a first-round dual and advanced to the quarterfinals. Each of its previous opening round wins also came over Long Beach State.

[bearterritory]

BEARS SWEEP BIG ROW AGAIN

Tops Stanford 12th Straight Time

Notch Trio of Races Against Rival

REDWOOD CITY – The No. 2 California men's rowing team swept the Big Row versus No. 5 Stanford this weekend at Redwood Shores to close out its regular-season competition. The Golden Bears' first through third varsity eights notched wins over the Cardinal in the annual showdown between the school rivals, making it the 12th-consecutive year that Cal has come out on top at the dual.   Cal's third varsity eight got the racing off to a solid start with a nearly 14-second margin of victory in the team's first race of the morning. The Bears pulled out to a strong lead at the opening and maintained it down the stretch, finishing the course in 5:58.1 ahead of Stanford, which had a final time of 6:12.5.   The competition began to heat up in the race of the second varsity eights, with only three seconds separating the two crews in the end. Cal took an early lead and held it solidly through the first 1000 meters. Stanford made a move in the third quarter of the race to try and close the gap, but the Bears held the Cardinal off and clinched the race win with a final time of 5:55.7, ahead of Stanford which finished in 5:58.8.   Cal's top varsity eight also took the lead from the jump and refused to relinquish it as it moved down the course. The Bears maintained their position as the race evolved, doing well to fend off a push from the Cardinal and finishing in 5:49.8 with Stanford trailing in 5:52.6.   "The goals of all of our regular-season races are to win and to learn from them – and I think we accomplished both of those goals today," Cal head coach Scott Frandsen said. "We had to reshuffle some things and test out some new lineups today, and I think that went fairly well. It's a good indication of the depth of our squad, when we can make last-minute adjustments and have it all click and come together in the race. There's lots to learn from these races, and we now have some things we can figure out in the next two weeks leading up to the MPSF championships."   Cal will now turn its focus to the postseason, first looking to defend its MPSF Championship title on May 16-17 on Lake Natoma in Sacramento before setting its sights on the IRA Championships on May 29-31 at the same venue.

RESULTS V8+ 1. California – 5:49.8 2. Stanford – 5:52.6   2V8+ 1. California – 5:55.7 2. Stanford – 5:58.8   3V8+ 1. California – 5:58.1 2. Stanford – 6:12.5   LINEUPS V8+ Coxswain: Michael Kain 8. Nemanja Luledzija 7. Tobias Kristensen 6. Pablo Moreno 5. Alexander Baroni 4. Rory Menzies 3. Noah Anger 2. Maximilian Pfautsch 1. Tom O'Sullivan

2V8+ Coxswain: Ethan Nghiem 8. Leo Rosenquist 7. Eddie Bayfield 6. Osian James 5. Matthew Waddell 4. Xavier Gagnon 3. Josh Knight 2. Tim Roth 1. Jeremy Beale   3V8+ Coxswain: Austin Chen 8. Mihajlo Dedic 7. Flynn English 6. Dan Bradbery 5. Nat Gauden 4. Evan Gold 3. Leo Shetler 2. Thomas Heerding 1. James O'Meara

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NCAA Championship

Cal Tops Utah 4-1 in First Round

Naomi Xu Dominates

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The 23rd-ranked California women's tennis team booked a spot in the NCAA Championship second round and extended its lead in the all-time series with No. 39 Utah to 14-1 when it defeated the Utes 4-1 in the first round Friday at Marks Tennis Stadium. Cal sophomore Naomi Xu posted a three-set win over Emma Valletta to clinch the victory.   The Golden Bears – who improved their record to 13-7 – next face host and No. 13 USC on Saturday. Utah ended its season at 15-10.   In doubles, the first-time Cal duo of freshmen Johanne Svendsen and Mille Johnna Moerk beat Utah's Emmie Moore and Kaila Barksdale 6-4 on Court 3. But the Utes won on Courts 1 and 2 to claim the doubles point.   The Bears started off strong in singles, winning five of six first sets. Cal senior All-American Berta Passola Folch – ranked 22nd – tied the overall match 1-1 when she bested Sara Akid 6-3, 7-5 on Court 2, and then Moerk gave Cal a 2-1 lead when she beat Moore 6-4, 6-2 on Court 4. Sophomore Anya Murthy — a former Trojan playing at USC for the first time since transferring to Cal — made the score 3-1 when she beat Utah's Hayley Roberts 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 on Court 6.   Xu earned her first clinching win of the season when she beat Valletta 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to end the match.   Cal plays USC for the second time this season on Saturday at noon PT, with the winner of that match advancing to next week's NCAA Super Regionals. The Bears defeated the Trojans 4-2 on Jan. 31 in the second match of the regular season in Berkeley.

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Cal Beats Stanford 13-11 in Semifinal

Bears Advance Once More to NCAA Championship Game, Against USC

LA JOLLA – Just a day after crushing #5 Hawaii, the #4 California women's water polo team exploded in the third period of play to shove its way ahead of #1 Stanford, building a five-goal lead that the Cardinal could not overcome as the Golden Bears emerged with a 13-11 upset win in the NCAA semifinals. The victory over its rival propels Cal into the national championship game for the third time in program history. The Bears will go in pursuit of the trophy tomorrow against USC at 6 p.m. PT at Canvonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla.

Five different Bears scored in the third period to help turn a game that was tied 7-7 at halftime into a 12-7 Cal advantage. The Bears' 5-0 rally featured fierce work from Eszter Varró, who earned a 5-meter penalty that Rosalie Hassett deposited to spark the winning rally. Julianne Snyder continued her sniper work with the Bears' next blast on a savvy bar-in slider to make it 9-7. Then Varro earned a 6-on-5 and found Julia Bonaguidi for her third blast of the day. Varro later took matters into her own hands with a sweep shot for a lift to 11-7. Another Varró-produced power play saw Harper Price hit Abbi Magee for her fourth goal of the game, and Cal had pinned up five goals in under four minutes to storm ahead 12-7. 

Stanford would battle back three straight goals spanning the third and fourth frames to make it a two-goal game with 6:13 to go. Bonaguidi came up with a takeaway at two meters next for the Bears, and then Maria Bogachenko rose up for a rocket that skipped through to net a 13-10 lead for Cal with 4:50 to go. The Bears worked the clock well in the remaining time, even after Stanford found an even score to make it 13-11 with 2:01 left. In fitting fashion, Feline Voordouw knocked down a late last look by the Cardinal, and the Bears had a huge victory in the books.

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#7 Bears Win 2 to Close Out Season

Bears Beat Pepperdine, San Jose State

Close 3-2 Loss to Stanford Despite Upsetting #1 Pair

PALO ALTO, Calif. – The No. 7 California beach volleyball team took a pair of duals at the Stanford West Coast Classic this past weekend, defeating Pepperdine 4-1 and San Jose State before dropping a nail-biter to No. 2 Stanford, 3-2 on the last day.

The Golden Bears (22-11) got two wins from No. 1 pair Portia Sherman and Emma Donley, including a victory over Stanford top pair Kelly Belardi and Avery Jackson, who is ranked No. 4 nationally by TruVolley. Sherman and Donley, who improved to 27-3 on the season, are ranked No. 3 in the country.

Among Cal's four match victories over Pepperdine (24-14), twin sisters Giselle Lau and Savanna Lau notched their first career win playing as a pair together.

Cal won all five matches in straight sets against the Spartans, including the 28th victory of the season for No. 1 pair Portia Sherman and Emma Donley. That ties the program's single-season pair win record that the duo set last season.

Sisters Savanna & Giselle Lau also won as a pair for the second consecutive day, their first career victories playing together.

The Bears and Cardinal engaged in a back-and-forth affair. They exchanged match wins to make it 2-2, including an impressive Cal victory on Court 2 when Marilu Pally and Grace Hong erased an 11-6 deficit in the second set to win 23-21, 21-18.

Sherman and Donley's victory knotted the dual with the Court 3 match still in the second set. Cal's No. 3 pair of Mila Vugrincic and Jenna Colligan won the first set 21-19 before Stanford's Charlotta Bell and Logan Tusher responded to win the second set, 21-18. The Cardinal duo took a 10-6 lead only to see the Bears trim the deficit to 10-9, and then had match point at 14-10 before Cal cut it to 14-13.

No. 7 California 4, Pepperdine 1 No. 1: Portia Sherman/Emma Donley (Cal) def. Emma Eden/Michaela Cyrani, 21-18, 21-15 No. 2: Mila Vugrincic/Jenna Colligan (Cal) def. Maddy Snow/Gabriella Perez, 21-14, 21-14 No. 3: Alice Jagielska/Sonia Mancuso (Pepp) def. Gia Fisher/Ava Haughy, 21-17, 21-15 No. 4:Savanna Lau/Giselle Lau (Cal) def. Ginevra Merlini/Emi Erickson, 22-20, 21-16 No. 5:Bella Adishian/Mila Yarich (Cal) def. Emma Bubelis/Bella Avelar, 21-13, 21-10

No. 7 California 5, San Jose State 0 No. 1: Portia Sherman/Emma Donley (Cal) def. Kaia Fanshier/Grace Baker, 21-17, 21-18 No. 2: Mila Vugrincic/Jenna Colligan (Cal) def. Mia Scheepens/Isabella Martinez, 17-21, 21-19, 15-12 No. 3: Marilu Pally/Grace Hong (Cal) def. Randi Reeves/Rio Thomas, 21-16, 21-18 No. 4: Savanna Lau/Giselle Lau (Cal) def. Sabrina Moore/Anna Salmon, 21-13, 21-12 No. 5: Elle Evers/Bella Adishian (Cal) def. Addison DeMarse/Olivia Paxton, 21-12, 21-14

No. 2 Stanford 3, No. 7 California 2 No. 1:Portia Sherman/Emma Donley (Cal) def. Kelly Belardi/Avery Jackson, 21-15, 21-12 No. 2:Marilu Pally/Grace Hong (Cal) def. Brooke Rockwell/Ruby Sorra, 23-21, 21-18 No. 3: Charlotta Bell/Logan Tusher (Stan) def. Mila Vugrincic/Jenna Colligan, 19-21, 21-18, 15-13 No. 4: Indigo Clarke/Clara Stowell (Stan) def. Gia Fisher/Ava Haughy, 21-18, 21-13 No. 5: Elena Fisher/Chloe Hoffman (Stan) def. Bella Adishian/Mila Yarich, 21-12, 21-15

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BEARS BLOW BY BYU

Advance to Semifinals

BERKELEY - The California rugby team defeated the Brigham Young Cougars 96-12 Saturday in the quarterfinals of the D1A National Collegiate Championships. The Bears scored 14 tries from nine different players as junior Nate Comiskey led the way with his second straight hat trick. Sophomore Filip Edstrom returned from injury, scoring two tries and going 13-for-13 on conversions. Cal struck first in the fourth minute as sophomore Masi Koi passed the ball wide to captain Rand Santos. Santos found Edstrom, who ran in for the try, his eighth of the season, and made the conversion. The Cougars answered back in the eighth minute, threatening on the goal line, and passed the ball wide to Will Pugmire. Pugmire broke two tackles, running ahead for the try. Eli Palmer made the conversion to tie the game at 7-7. The Bears capitalized off a BYU turnover in the 10th minute as Solomon Williams kicked a pass to Comiskey. Comiskey dove ahead for the try, putting the Bears back in front. Quick moves from Santos gave the Bears another try and just like that Cal built a 14-point lead. Comiskey added his second try of the game in the 16th minute and the Bears continued to add to the lead with tries from Seamus Deely, Max Threlkeld, and Comiskey's third try of the game put them ahead 49-12 heading into the half. At the half, the Bears subbed off starters Cade Crist, Brice Muller, Oliver Teague, and Solomon Williams for Jayden Flores, Elliott Lewis, Elias Smith, and Cormac Saint. The Bears scored seven more tries in the second half, highlighted by excellent passing, finding space wide in the BYU defense. Quinn Spieker, who came in for Masi Koi, scored his first varsity try of the season, while Oliver Newall scored a try as time expired giving the Bears the victory. After the game, captain Rand Santos shared his thoughts. "I'm proud of the team for how we performed, but the business is unfinished," Santos shared. I think a lot of guys played well today," vice captain Max Threlkeld added. "It means a lot to get the victory because we put in a lot of effort, and it's always good to win as a group."

"Cal came out and took it to us for 80 minutes," BYU head coach Steven St. Pierre said. "Hopefully our guys will learn from it and come back better next year. But, all the credit to Cal for how they played today." Scoring Timeline: Cal vs. BYU 4:00 – Filip Edstrom, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2 8:00 – Will Pugmire, 5, Eli Palmer, 2 (BYU) 10:00 – Nate Comiskey, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2 12:00 – Rand Santos, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2 16:00 - Nate Comiskey, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2 25:00 – Seamus Deely, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2 27:00 – Max Threlkeld, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2 30:00 – Will Pugmire, 5 (BYU) 37:00 – Nate Comiskey, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2 Half: Cal, 49, BYU, 12 45:00 – Ryan Wenstrom, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2 48:00 – Max Threlkeld, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2 56:00 – Filip Edstrom, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2 61:00 – Oliver Newall, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2 63:00 – Elias Smith, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2 67:00 – Quinn Spieker, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2 80:00 – Oliver Newall, 5 Final: Cal, 96, BYU, 12 Starting XV: 1. Talae Tuimaunei (Tommy Rainsford 54') 2. Cade Crist (Jayden Flores 40') 3. William Schreckengaust (Kimani Laumoli 54') 4. Byron Finley 5. Seamus Deely 6. Brice Muller (Elliott Lewis 40') 7. Ryan Wenstrom 8. Oliver Teague (Elias Smith 40') 9. Solomon Williams (Cormac Saint 40') 10. Rand Santos (Michál de Beer 46') 11. Masi Koi (Quinn Spieker 57') 12. Filip Edstrom 13. Max Threlkeld 14. Nate Comiskey 15. Oliver Newall

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#9 Cal Finishes Strong @ BTI

Bears Notch Multiple Wins

Takes 2nd Place Ahead of #5 Washington

SACRAMENTO – The No. 9 California women's rowing team had a strong finish on Sunday morning at the Big Ten Invitational at Lake Natoma, with the Golden Bears' varsity eight posting a runner-up finish in its flight behind No. 1 Stanford. Cal finished the course in 6:12.222 to notch its second V8+ win over the Huskies of the weekend after outdistancing Washington in its flight yesterday. Cal had three boats finish in third place behind the Cardinal and the Huskies. First, the second varsity four had a time of 7:11.035 – which was under three seconds behind Washington – before the second varsity eight finished the course about five seconds behind the Huskies to take third place with a time of 6:23.943. Cal outdistanced No. 12 Rutgers and No. 17 Michigan in each race. It was a photo-finish in the third varsity eight race, with Washington edging the Bears by a fraction of a second, finishing the course in 6:45.149 ahead of Cal with a 6:45.189 time. Stanford won the flight with a time of 6:33.801. The Bears had a trio of fourth-place finishes, with the varsity four finishing the course in 7:08.351 behind Stanford, Washington and Rutgers and the third varsity four finishing in 7:31.837 behind the same opponents. Cal's fourth varsity eight took fourth place behind the Huskies, Scarlet Knights and Wolverines with a time of 7:07.458. Sunday's results capped a solid outing for the Bears across the whole weekend, with Cal sweeping its flights in the morning session against No. 23 Indiana, Minnesota and Washington State on Saturday. The Bears' V8+ and 3V8+ also recorded flight wins in their Day 1 afternoon sessions. The varsity eight outdistanced Washington, No. 20 UCLA, and Notre Dame, while the third varsity eight defeated the Wolverines, Huskies and Bruins.

"It was a fantastic weekend of racing all around," Cal head coach Al Acosta said. "We're grateful that we were able to go head-to-head with every team in the Big Ten in our own backyard. Our crews all shined at different times during the event. There was no daylight between our 3V8+ and Washington's 3V8+ for two races. We got them on Saturday with an amazing sprint in the last 400 meters, and the Sunday margin was a photo-finish in favor of UW. Our 2V8+ inched closer and closer to the Huskies and it was great to see our V8+ put their bow ball ahead of Washington on Saturday and Sunday. I'm really proud of this team. We brought a lot of good energy to each race and consistently raced hard all the way down the track."  NEXT UP Cal will return to Berkeley to prepare for The Big Row on May 2 in Redwood Shores in what will be the Bears' regular-season finale.