By SwimSwam on SwimSwam
Courtesy: Cal Athletics
As California women’s water polo sets up to host the ninth edition of its early-season tournament known as the Cal Cup, the Golden Bears have chosen to rename the event in honor of a former Bear. Now named the Brigitte Donner Daws Memorial Invitational, the competition honors the memory of Donner Daws, who played water polo at Cal from 1998-2002 and passed away tragically in 2020.
The inaugural Brigitte Donner Daws Memorial Invitational brings together high-level teams for competition at Spieker Aquatics Complex on Jan. 24-25, 2026. Brigitte’s family members have been invited to participate in a ceremonial ball drop ahead of the Cal-Fresno State game. At halftime of that game, there will be a special moment of remembrance for Brigitte along with all other alumni and members of the water polo community that have been lost in the past year.
Originally from Orinda, Calif., Brigitte is remembered by her teammates, friends, and family for her vivacity, kindness, and enthusiasm.
“Brigitte lived life at two speeds — zero and 150,” her former Cal teammate Julia Cesnik said. “She didn’t do anything halfway, which always meant infectious energy… and usually meant costumes, neon and glitter.”
That verve and vibrance defined all areas of Brigitte’s life, both in and out of the water, professionally and personally. At Cal, she earned ACWPC All-Academic honors as an English major and served as president of the Pi Beta Phi sorority.
She earned her MBA at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. Brigitte then came back to San Francisco and built a career in marketing, rising through leadership roles at Salesforce, then several startups, before returning to Salesforce as Chairwoman of Dreamforce, the world’s largest tech conference. She also continued to play water polo with many of her Cal teammates at San Francisco’s Olympic Club, competing in Australia, Italy and Sweden.
Brigitte held Cal close to her heart throughout her life: she married a fellow Golden Bear (Philip Daws, Cal 2000) and was a football season ticket holder with her brother Alan (Cal 2007). She is survived by her husband, Philip, her parents, Heidi and Alvan, her brother Alan and sister-in-law Molly, and her many Cal teammates and friends.
Please join us in Berkeley on January 24 and 25 to celebrate Brigitte and collegiate water polo!
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