Bears Return From Australia To Face Undefeated Wildcats

Going down under didn't keep the No. 5 Cal women's swimming team down in the rankings.

Shortly after ringing in the new year, the Bears left for Melbourne, Australia, on a two-week tour-a vacation as well as a time for competition.

In the Victorian State Championships, Cal competed against 73 other clubs in a 50-meter pool in the Melbourne Aquatic Centre, and the team was excited about the change of scenery.

"It was really nice. The facilities in America are nice too, but swimming is like football over there," junior Lauren Rogers said. "The pool that we swam in was amazing and it was great to be in the environment where swimming is more of a spectator sport."

But now the team is back at Spieker Aquatics, where Cal will host No. 4 Arizona and No. 17 Arizona State this weekend in the last two home meets of the season, and the final home meets for the three graduating seniors-Emily Silver, Rachel Ridgeway and Kelly Stravers.

The highly competitive Pac-10 conference offers up an undefeated Wildcats squad that is coming off a win against No. 16 Texas. While the Bears have won the matchup for the past two years, the Wildcats have already captured three Pac-10 wins on the season and they are the first opponent ranked higher than Cal that the team will face in a dual meet this season.

And despite coming off a loss to No. 9 Minnesota, the Sun Devils have already defeated five Pac-10 opponents-three of which are ranked in the top 25.

But Cal also boasts January victories, as the team finished in the upper half of the rankings in Australia, and seven individuals came away with top-10 finishes, including one gold medal.

Although Rogers considers the 50-meter backstroke to be an off event, her time of 28.78 seconds was good enough to earn a first-place finish.

"For me personally, to represent the University of California by winning felt good, and it was a great way to get into the training trip," Rogers said.

Junior Dana Vollmer finished three events in the top 10, while freshmen Hannah Wilson and Amanda Sims received fifth-place finishes in the 100-meter free and 200-meter fly, respectively.

And after the two-day meet, the team spent as much time in the ocean as in the pool, getting every other afternoon off to explore and sightsee.

"I think we had quite a bit of freedom and I really enjoyed that," Wilson said. "We got to look at the city and I especially liked going to Bondi Beach and walking across the Sydney harbor bridge."

But aside from the traveling, the team hopes that training in Australia will help as they begin the majority of their Pac-10 matchups. This weekend kicks off a series of five consecutive Pac-10 meets for Cal.

"It was nice to be away," Rogers said. "But we were always thinking, coming into our hardest part of our season, that we need to collect ourselves before we head into the bulk of the season."

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