CHUCKARELEI
Isabelle Stadden, left, won the Pac-12 title in the 100-yard backstroke while Mia Kragh took the crown in the 100 butterfly.
WSWIM3/1/2024 9:43 PM | By: Cal Athletics
Stadden, Kragh Capture Individual Titles As Cal Extends Lead In Team Standings
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – The No. 7 California women’s swimming & diving team put itself on the brink of capturing its first Pac-12 championship since 2021 with a strong showing Friday night at Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.
Senior Isabelle Stadden and junior Mia Kragh led the way with individual conference titles, helping the Golden Bears extend their lead to over 100 points over second-place Stanford heading into Saturday’s final day. Cal has amassed 964 points while the Cardinal has 849.5 and USC is at 824.
After runner-up finishes in the 100-yard backstroke in each of her first three years at Cal, Stadden finally reached the top of the podium Friday night with a winning time of 50.39. Stadden has previously won two Pac-12 titles in the 200 backstroke and has been part of four relay championship teams.
“I think we are on such a good roll, and I’m so honored and happy to be a part of this year’s team and how far we’ve come already,” Stadden told the Pac-12 Networks. “I think we’re on the right track for (the NCAA Championships).”
Kragh won the 100 butterfly in a time of 50.89 after finishing as the runner-up last season. Like Stadden, she entered the event as the No. 1 seed and lived up to the billing.
“I’m really proud to be part of this team. They inspire me every day,” Kragh told the Pac-12 Networks. “Training harder is easier when I’m around them. It’s been amazing. I feel so lucky to be surrounded by women that push me every day – in the pool, in academics, and just to be a better person. I’ve learned so much about myself being with them.”
The Bears also collected a good chunk of points in the 100 breaststroke, where they registered a 3-4-5 finish. Graduate transfer Hannah Brunzell was third with a time of 59.47, which tied teammate Jade Neser for the fourth-best time ever at Cal. Neser herself placed fourth and junior Alicia Henry was fifth, bettering her No. 7 all-time mark at Cal with a time of 59.58.
Junior Leah Polonsky couldn’t defend her Pac-12 title in the 400 individual medley but still placed third with a time of 4:05.11.
The final day of the 2024 Pac-12 Championships features the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 1,650 freestyle, platform diving and the 400 free relay. Stadden will look for her third career conference title in the 200 back. She is the No. 1 seed in the event, as is grad student Rachel Klinker in the 200 butterfly.