By Terin Frodyma on SwimSwam
It’s that time of the year again. SwimSwam will be previewing the top 12 men’s and women’s teams (and then some) from the 2026 NCAA Championships. Follow along with the College Swimming Preview Channel. Want to read even more? Check out the latest edition of the SwimSwam magazine.
Men’s #7: California Golden Bears
Key Losses: Joshua Thai (13 NCAA diving points), Evan Petty (7 NCAA points), Hank Rivers (7 NCAA points), Nathan Wiffen (2 NCAA points), Luca Gissendaner (1 NCAA event), Eduardo Oliveira de Moraes (2 NCAA Events)
Key Additions: Michel Arkhangelskiy (Florida State Transfer), #1 Baylor Stanton (GA – IM/back), #5 Tim Wu (CA – IM/free), #7 Jordan Ragland (CA – sprint free), #10 Albert Smelzer (NC – sprint free)
GRADING CRITERIA
Over the years, we’ve gone back and forth on how to project points, ranging from largely subjective rankings to more data-based grading criteria based on ‘projected returning points.’ We like being as objective as possible, but we’re going to stick with the approach we’ve adopted post-COVID. The “stars” will rely heavily on what swimmers actually did last year, but we’ll also give credit to returning swimmers or freshmen who have posted times that would have scored last year.
Since we only profile the top 12 teams in this format, our grades are designed with that range in mind. In the grand scheme of college swimming and compared to all other college programs, top 12 NCAA programs would pretty much all grade well across the board. But in the interest of making these previews informative, our grading scale is tough – designed to show the tiers between the good stroke groups, the great ones, and the 2015 Texas fly group types.
5 star (★★★★★) – a rare, elite NCAA group projected to score 25+ points per event 4 star (★★★★) – a very, very good NCAA group projected to score 15-24 points per event 3 star (★★★) – a good NCAA group projected to score 5-14 points per event 2 star (★★) – a solid NCAA group projected to score 1-4 points per event 1 star (★) – an NCAA group that is projected to score no points per event, though that doesn’t mean it’s without potential scorers – they’ll just need to leapfrog some swimmers ahead of them to do itWe’ll grade each event discipline: sprint free (which we define to include all the relay-distance freestyle events, so 50, 100 and 200), distance free, IM, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and diving. Use these grades as a jumping-off point for discussion, rather than a reason to be angry.
Also, keep in mind that we are publishing many of these previews before teams have posted finalized rosters. We’re making our assessments based on the best information we have available at the time of publication. Still, we reserve the right to make changes after publication based on any new information that may emerge regarding rosters. If that does happen, we’ll make certain to note the change.
The final note is that we are not including athletes who graduated last spring after exhausting their college eligibility despite ongoing lawsuits against the NCAA regarding the new “Five-for-Five” rule.
2025-26 Lookback
It was another top-10 finish for the Golden Bears at NCAAs last season, highlighted by a sweep of the NCAA breaststroke events at the hands of then-sophomore Yamato Okadome, picking up 40 individual points for Cal on their way to a 7th-place national finish.
Last season also saw a rise from youthful talent Ryan Erisman, who was highly competitive across the board for Cal and added 30 points to the team’s total. It was also another solid showing for now-senior Keaton Jones, picking up 22 points, highlighted by a 7th-place finish in the 200 free.
It was a strong showing from the relays as well, picking up 108 points on the team relays, as well as 13 points from the diving events, all of which were scored in one event.
In all, the Golden Bears finished 27.5 points behind 6th-place finishers NC State, though they still managed 14 individual scorers at NCAAs.
The Golden Bear men came out on top at the ACC Championships with 1154 points.
With several top scorers returning for the 2026-27 season, and many big-time recruits and newcomers set to put on the Cal letters, the Golden Bear men will be aiming to not only finish inside the top 10, but return to contention for a national title once again.
Sprint Free: ★★
The sprint freestyle events were not the biggest highlight for the Cal men last season. However, they brought back several competitive times and added a number of young talents who will become immediate contributors to the program.
Last season’s 50 free was highlighted by a pair of sub-19 performers: Lucca Battaglini (18.78) and Martin Wrede (18.81). Both will be back on the roster this upcoming season for their junior and sophomore seasons, respectively. Last season, Cal had 13 sub-20-second performers; six of them were under 19.6.
The 100 free saw the same two names at the top, Battaglini and Wrede, as the only sub-42-second performers from last season, in 41.56 and 41.80. It took a 41.56 to score at NCAAs. It’s not impossible to see one or both make their way into that scoring range this season, though there were 22 swimmers at 41.80 or faster at NCAAs, so a safe range to be in if they want to bring in points will probably be somewhere around that 41.0-41.2 range.
The 200 free was led by a pair of returning swimmers from last season, Keaton Jones and Ryan Erisman. Jones was significantly faster than the rest of the roster a season ago, blasting a 1:30.99 at NCAAs. It is hard to overlook a potential big drop from Erisman this season after his stellar summer in long-course. With the scoring cut-off being 1:31.62, there is a sense of optimism to potentially see Erisman get himself into that range, if he chooses to race this at the national level.
Cal will also welcome in Michel Arkhangelskiy and his 1:32.71 200 free career best over from Florida State, which could be another sneaky piece to Cal’s 800 free success.
This is an area where Cal’s incoming recruits will be crucial, as they will be with the talents of Jordan Ragland (19.18, 42.24, 1:36.02) and Albert Smelzer (19.26, 43.04, and 1:36.28) who both could make huge splashes for the Golden Bears in their freshman season. Top-ranked recruit Baylor Stanton also brings a very strong 200 free best of 1:34.56, which may earn him a spot on a potential 800 free relay.
Distance Free: ★★★½
The distance freestyle events were an area where Ryan Erisman shined, ending last season as the top Cal swimmer in the 500 with his 4:11.17 from ACCs. Had he gone that time at NCAAs, he would have finished 6th overall; instead, he finished 9th at NCAAs in 4:11.43.
Once again, it is hard to overlook what Erisman achieved over the summer months, which immediately put him in contention to finish high up on the podium.
Here is another event where Baylor Stanton could be a strong addition. Coming into his college days with a best time of 4:117.39, he may not be an immediate scoring threat, though it would not be out of the picture to see him deliver one or more big-time performances against some high-level competition.
Keaton Jones is the next fastest 500 freestyler returning from last season with his 4:12.75 from NCAAs, which put him at 16th and earned him one point.
Nathan Wiffen was the team’s fastest performer in the mile last season in 14:34.17, which was just over three seconds quicker than Erisman in 14:37.58. Both times were set at ACC meets.
As is the case once again, had Erisman swum that time at NCAAs, he would have jumped another two spots up to 8th.
Outside of Erisman, there is not too much firepower for the 1650, though he may be able to power himself to some big points, and possibly a top three finish.
Backstroke: ★★★½
Cal’s top 100 backstroke, Evan Petty, is gone, though they return their next quickest performer, Casper Puggaard, whose season-best time came at NCAAs in 45.75.
Unfortunately, it took a 44.78 to score, which is about a second off the time that Puggaard swam last season.
It is not out of the realm of possibilities that Cal has a backstroke step up and deliver some big-time swims and make their way to that scoring range. One potential suitor could be Arkhangelskiy, who did not race the 100 back at NCAAs, though he holds a lifetime best of 44.49 from the 2025 ACC Championships, which would have put him tied for 9th out of the NCAA prelims.
In a system that has developed countless stellar backstrokers, this may be an event where Arkhangelskiy thrives.
Keaton Jones is once again a big get-back for the Golden Bears; he was 2nd in the 200 back on the roster last season in 1:38.29. But the top spot went to Humberto Najera, who clocked a 1:38.02 at Cal’s Last Chance meet, which would have placed 4th in the championship final at NCAAs.
Baylor Stanton topped the entire 2026 recruiting class in both the 100 and 200 back with his times of 46.12 and 1:39.79; if he manages to shave a bit of time off both of those times, he may be a scoring threat in each championship final.
Breaststroke: ★★★★
The return of a double NCAA Champion is crucial; with Yamato Okadome coming back as only a junior, he may only be getting started.
Okadome was stellar, even in the face of some stiff competition, winning the 100 breast by more than three tenths of a second in 49.90, and claiming the 200 breast title in a down-to-the-wire race in 1:48.61.
On the national level, it will be tough to keep the rest of the event field at bay, but if he can maintain the speed he showed at NCAAs, he will be a hard man to stop from repeating.
The rest of the breaststroke room is solid, with the next-fastest returner being Zachary Tan, the program’s 4th-fastest 100 breaststroker last season in 51.72, which would have been 21st at NCAAs. He was also the team’s 3rd fastest 200 breaststroker in 1:54.86.
This group lives and breathes through Okadome, and may need him to go back-to-back in both breaststroke events if Cal wants to stay competitive nationally.
Butterfly: ★★½
Cal brings back all four of its top 100 butterflyers from last season in the form of Caspar Puggaard (45.26), Lucca Battaglini (45.39), Samuel Quarles (45.45), and Jack Brown (45.99).
Conveniently, all three were the only swimmers on the roster to swim under 46 seconds.
It took 44.95 to score at NCAAs, which may be just a touch outside of what many of those returners are capable of reaching. On a positive note, the top 16 from NCAAs included seven seniors or 5th-year swimmers, which automatically opens up opportunities for new scorers.
Michel Arkhangelskiy raced this event at NCAAs but finished 40th in 46.41, despite his lifetime best of 44.36 from the 2025 ACC Championships.
Puggaard was also clearly the top performer in the 200 fly for Cal last season, scoring a single point in 1:40.35 at NCAAs, the fastest time on the roster by more than two seconds.
The next-fastest performer from last season is rising sophomore Matteo Palmisani, who clocked a 1:42.43 at the SMU Last Chance meet, though that sits well outside what scored a season ago at NCAAs.
IM: ★★★½
Baylor Stanton comes in with times that make him a top IMer for Cal; the multifaceted Stanton may be able to swim literally any event that he chooses, but his impact could be most used in the IM.
He comes into Cal with lifetime bests of 1:41.62 in the 200 IM, which is more than a second faster than anybody on the roster from a season ago, and 3:40.48, which only sits behind Erisman’s 3:36.09.
Stanton’s 200 IM time is nearly three full seconds faster than any time from Cal’s team a year ago, and would have finished 11th at NCAAs. Assuming he can take off a little bit more time in the event this season, we could see him pick up more than just the six points that he would have earned in the event last season.
Erisman was far and away the best 400 IMer for Cal last season, finishing 5th last season in the event at NCAAs. It feels almost like we are beating a dead horse talking about the potential Erisman has shown, and that stays true in the 400 IM.
He showed that he is one of the best racers when the stakes are high, and if he can put himself in a good position at NCAAs, Erisman could be fighting for a high podium position.
Another highly touted freshman in the form of Tim Wu could make some noise IMs as well, coming in with lifetime bests of 1:44.55 and 3:43.39, respectively, some big time drops could go a long way for the Golden Bears hopes of moving up and continuing to drive forward nationally.
Diving: ★
Cals only NCAA scoring diver Joshua Thai, who finished 6th on the platform, earning all 13 of the Golden Bears’ diving points.
Only one other diver competed at NCAAs for Cal: rising senior Geoffrey Vavitsas, who finished 22nd on the platform with 337.35 points.
While they may still have a chance to score, overall, the diving portion of the team isn’t where this squad is at its best.
Relays: ★★★
Note that the grading system doesn’t align perfectly for relays as double points.
Relay grading system:
5 star (★★★★★) – 31+ points per relay event 4 star (★★★★) – 22-30 relay points per event 3 star (★★★) – 12-21 relay points per event 2 star (★★) – 5-11 relay points per event 1 star (★) – 0-4 relay points per eventFortunately for the Golden Bear relays, there aren’t many major holes that need to be filled to keep them on track to finish inside the top 10 again.
On the medley relays, the breast, fly, and freestyle legs seem to be pretty safe, but several names can secure the backstroke leg after the departure of Evan Petty; some of those names in contention could be Arkhangelskiy or Puggaard, both of which could be more than serviceable replacements.
Of the several freshman sprinters coming into the program, the flexibility for the 200 and 400 free relays is vast, with the likes of Ragland and Smelzer, as well as established talents such as Martin Wrede and Lucca Battaglini; the reigning ACC champions will have several options to play with.
One of the more loaded relays for Cal will probably be in the 800 free relay, with Erisman’s raw racing ability, the addition of Stanton, and several other strong 200 freestylers like Keaton Jones and Nans Mazellier; Cal could be looking ahead to a higher position at NCAA than the 12th-place finish the team saw in the event this past season.
Total Stars: 23/40
2026-27 Outlook
All in all, the Cal men appear to be in a great position to get themselves back into the top 10. The team, while still youthful, is supported by several returning members with national championship experience, including Ryan Erisman, Yamato Okadome, and Keaton Jones.
The incoming freshman class is among the best in the country, with potential stars such as Baylor Stanton, Jordan Ragland, and Tim Wu.
Both the ACC competition and the opponents they will face in the College Swimming League will give them great tests ahead of NCAAs, and that will strengthen the team before some very strong event fields.
Much of the national placement will fall on Okadome if he can repeat as a double breaststroke champion. Still, if Erisman can continue the blazing summer momentum he built, he may become one of the biggest podium threats in the nation.
All in all, the Golden Bears are in a more than sufficient position to continue their climb back to the top of the national rankings.
MEN’S 2026-27 COLLEGE PREVIEW INDEX
Rank (2026) Team Sprint Free Distance Free Backstroke Breaststroke Butterfly IM Diving Relays Total Stars 1 Texas Longhorns 2 Florida Gators 3 Indiana Hoosiers 4 Arizona State Sun Devils 5 Tennessee Volunteers 6 NC State Wolfpack 7 California Golden Bears ★★ ★★★½ ★★★½ ★★★★ ★★½ ★★★½ ★ ★★★ 23/20 8 Michigan Wolverines ★ ★★ ★ ★ ★★★ ★★★★ ★★ ★★ 16/40 9 Virginia Cavaliers ★★½ ★ ★★★ ★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★ ★★★½ 19/40 10 Stanford Cardinal ★★★½ ★★★ ★★ ★★½ ★★ ★ ★★★ ★★½ 19.5/40 11 Virginia Tech Hokies ★★★ ★ ★★ ★★ ★ ★ ★ ★★ 13/40 12 Louisville Cardinals ★★★ ★ ★ ★★ ★★ ★★ ★★ ★★★ 16/40Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2027 College Swimming Previews: #7 Cal Men Look to Grow on Okadome’s Two Titles, Erisman’s Summer, and Big Recruits
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