Golden Medals: Cal Women’s Gymnastics beats Stanford for 3rd straight week; Cal is the best UC in rugby

Happy Chinese New Year’s Eve!

With more and more Cal winter/spring sports starting up, the Cal olympics calendar is getting busier each weekend. This weekend, you can catch Cal men’s swimming in their final home meets of the season today and tomorrow. On Saturday, it’s the free Cal alumni game from Evans Diamond where former Cal and current Oakland A’s star shortstop Marcus Semien is expected to be back for the alumni team. On Sunday, of course, it’s the Cal men’s basketball game against Stanford where Cal fans can also have their photos taken with the Axe.

Cal Women’s Gymnastics continue its impressive start

Expectations are sky high for Cal Women’s Gymnastics after the squad ended the 2019 season with the 4th highest team total in the Regional Final but missed out on the NCAA Championships Final 8 due to bad luck (two teams at the Regional Final posted better score). Golden Bears were able to achieve that feat despite losing 2016 Rio Calympian Toni-Ann Williams to a season ending injury midseason.

With a strong recruiting class and all the key returnees gaining one year of valuable experiences, Cal Golden Bears have their ambition set on making it as the final 4 team in the country in 2020. They opened this season with an impressive debut at the Collegiate Challenge down in Anaheim - finishing with a team score of 196.200 to take 3rd (besting Stanford). Despite having three gymnasts sick two weekends ago, Cal again won the NorCal Classic (beating Stanford, host UC Davis, Sacramento State, and San Jose State) with a team total of 194.950 despite having to count a fall in the floor exercise.

Finally debuting at Haas this past weekend, a nearly back to full strength Golden Bears posted a season best 197.325 (a great score for this early in the season) to best Stanford yet again.

While 2016 USA Olympian Kyra Ross bested Cal’s Kyana George for the Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week honor, two Golden Bears earned the weekly honor for the great Cal meet. Australian Cal Bear Emi Watterson had a nearly flawless parallel bar routine that earned a 9.975 to also get her the Specialist of the Week honor.

Local freshman Nevaeh Desouza got the Freshman of the Week honor for her great work while competing as an all-around on a pretty loaded Cal squad.

Back on the road, the Golden Bears will compete at Seattle this Sunday and at ASU next weekend before hosting the always great Utes on Saturday, February 8th in what should be an exciting meet.

ROLL ON YOU BEARS!

Cal Rugby beats all other UC to win the Storer Classic

The 15s season started for Cal Rugby and the Golden Bears rolled to another Dennis Storer Classic title down at Westwood. Bears did have a bit of a scare as they trailed host UCLA 3-0 at the half. Nonetheless, it was a 19-8 result in a Golden Bears victory in the final as the Bears withstood UCLA retaking the lead after Cal went ahead on a try. Cal also defeated UC Santa Cruz 48-3 and UC San Diego 59-7 on the weekend.

Head coach Jack Clark thought the Bears were merely “okay” for the weekend. The close score may prove to be a blessing this early on the year.

Cal will visit UC Davis on Saturday.

Cal Women’s Water Polo struggled as expected

With 3 key players taking the year off to focus on the Olympics, the concern about Cal Women’s Water Polo was justified in the 2nd weekend of action when the Bears went 2-2 on the weekend.

Bears lost to UC Irvine 12-7 and UC San Diego 14-13 in 3OT to bookend two wins over UC Santa Barbara 8-5 and Michigan 8-7.

Bears take a stumble in the rankings going from 4th to 6th. Maybe the homecooking this weekend while hosting the Cal Cup will right the ship for the team. Elsewhere in collegiate women’s water polo, UCLA also suffered a rare early season loss. Maybe that’s just going to be the norm this 2020 season.

GO BEARS!