2026-27 College Swimming Previews: 4 Cal Women Hope to Capitalize on Big Recruits, Returning Finalists ...Middle East

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.

Women’s #4: California Golden Bears

Key Losses: Teagan O’Dell (Transfer to Virginia, 46 NCAA Points), Lilou Ressencourt (14 NCAA Points), Abigail Herscu (1 NCAA event)

Key Additions: #1 Rylee Erisman (FL – free/back), #9 Kelsey Zhang (CA – fly/IM), BOTR Ava DeAnda (CA – sprint free), BOTR Isabel Wolk (NC – IM), #2D Madeline Kohel (MN – diver), Egle Salu (Estonia – breast), Halle West (Canada – breast), Kassy Yeung (Hong Kong – fly), Malak Tawfik (Egypt – diver)

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.

We’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

The Cal women finished 4th at NCAAs last season, led by several young and up-and-coming talents in Claire Weinstein and Teagan O’Dell, who combined for 94 individual points, including Weinstein’s win in the 500 free, the first individual NCAA title of her career.

Cal also brought in another 116 points from their relays, which helped soften the blow of not having a single diver compete at NCAAs.

Big performances also lifted the squad from Mary-Ambre Moluh (32 NCAA points) and Mia West (28 NCAA points).

Last season, Cal women scored most of their points from their freshman and sophomore classes, totaling 169 points between the two classes, and they are adding even more firepower with their incoming recruiting class for 2026-2027.

Cal also finished 3rd last season at the ACC Championships, missing the runner-up position by only 11.5 points to Stanford, which went on to finish 2nd at NCAAs behind powerhouse Virginia.

Sprint Freestyle: ★★★★

Cal returns a trio of 2.2 or faster 50 freestylers, led by Mary-Ambre Moluh, who clocked a blistering 21.53 as the leadoff leg of the Cal women’s 200 free relay at NCAAs, finishing 5th. As for the other fastest performers in the event last season, Sydney Griscavage and Mia West dipped under 22.2, clocking in 22.06 and 22.14, respectively.

Moluh and West also helped lead the charge in the 100 free last season for Cal, with Moluh clocking 46.30 at NCAAs to earn a 6th-place finish. Meanwhile, West threw down a 47.10 to lead off the ACC 400 free relay, making her one of only three Golden Bears to dip under 48 seconds last season.

The only other 47-second 100 freestyler last season for Cal was Claire Weinstein, who stopped the clock in 47.57 at ACCs to finish 1oth overall.

Weinstein and West were by far the program’s best 200 freestylers a season ago, with both finishing inside the top 8 at NCAAs, and were separated by just two hundredths of a second. West finished 7th in 1:41.57, while Weinstein rounded out the top 8 scorers in 1:41.59. With both returning this season, the program has a lethal 1-2 punch in two promising talents.

Rylee Erisman will undoubtedly be a big addition to this group, coming in with best times of 21.61, 46.96, and 1:40.93; she is not only going to be a key piece to likely every relay, but will also be able to contend for a national title in the 200 free, considering her best time would have gotten her 3rd in 2026.

Distance Freestyle: ★★★★★

Claire Weinstein made her presence felt in the distance freestyle events last season for Cal, winning the 500 free in 4:30.09 and finishing runner-up in the 1650 free in 15:36.52. These performances solidified her as a dominant force on a national scale, even as only a freshman.

There is little speculation about whether she can replicate, or even improve on, those performances from a season ago, and she is one of the popular choices to bring home multiple national titles in March of 2027.

She was assisted in the 500 free by Ella Cosgrove, who was also only a freshman last season, finishing 16th in the event in 4:39.19, even though her ACC performance of 4:37.07 would have moved her up several spots at NCAAs to 10th. If she can get under that 4:37 mark, or even jump into the 4:35 or lower range, there is a real chance Cosgrove can be another championship finalist for Cal this season.

The 1650 was pretty much all Weinstein, with her fastest time nearly 40 seconds faster than the rest of the roster, and Cosgrove finished the season with the 2nd-fastest Cal time of 16:13.97 from the Minnesota Invitational.

This is another area where Erisman could flourish, coming into her collegiate career already having been 4:34.60, which would have placed 5th overall at NCAAs.

Despite no real serious 2nd threat in the 1650, the Cal distance free group should be tough to stop, largely because of Erisman’s arrival and Weinstein’s proven ability to contend.

Backstroke: ★★★½

Moluh was the no-doubt ace for the sprint backstroke group for Cal last season, finishing in a tie for 4th at NCAAs in 49.95, though her 49.64 from ACCs would have given her a clear 4th-place finish, and she was just two hundredths outside of the top three, which featured a tie for 2nd in 49.62.

The next-fastest 100 backstroker from a season ago was Teagan O’Dell, who has since left for Virginia, and was as fast as 50.51 at the dual meet against Stanford. Mia West also swam sub-51 last season in 50.78, which would have placed her 9th at NCAAs, though she finished 22nd in 51.51.

O’Dell was clearly the fastest 200 backstroker on the roster last season in 1:49.51, which led to a 6th-place finish in 1:49.71 at NCAAs. Moluh was the next quickest in 1:53.48, with Cosgrove just behind in 1:53.58.

I took sub-1:52 to score a season ago, and that may be a bit too much for Cal’s 200 backstrokers to muster.

Breaststroke: ★★★

Cal has a few potential scorers this season, though it probably won’t be the headlining group.

Elle Scott and Silje Slyngstadli both were 58-second performers last season in 58.19 and 58.21 as freshmen, though neither managed to secure points at NCAAs or dip under that 59-second barrier.

Scott finished 18th in 59.08, while Slyngstadli touched 21st in 59.21. Had they posted those earlier-season times, they could have beaten the 9th-place time of 58.22. This was a very senior-heavy event, so there will be plenty of movement this season, which may include a pair of Golden Bears.

Scott and Slyngstadli are also the fastest returners in the 200 breast with their 2:09.54 and 2:09.88 from last season.

It took 2:08.35 to score at NCAAs, which is more than a second quicker than either of them went last season; though it is achievable, it likely won’t move the needle much in Cal’s favor.

Cal also brings in Halle West, the older sister of current swimmer Mia, as well as Estonian talent Egle Salu, who finished 12th at the European Championships in the 50 breast this summer.

Butterfly: ★★★

A big returner for Cal was Annie Jia, who led the team last season as the only swimmer under 51 seconds in the 50.34 at NCAAs, earning her a 5th-place finish as a freshman.

Two of the finishers above her at NCAAs are now gone from the program, which puts her in a solid position to jump into the top three this season.

Mia West also returns as a 51.12 100 fly, though Lilou Ressencourt has since left the program as the 3rd-fastest performer in the event from a season ago in 51.30.

The 200 fly was Mia West‘s domain, leading the program last season in 1:51.52. She did not race this event at NCAAs, though that time would have placed 4th at those Championships. Jia is the next-quickest returner in 1:53.63 from ACCs, a time that would have placed 11th, rather than her 26th-place swim in 1:56.44.

Cal brings in Kelsey Zhang as one of the top 200 butterflyers in the class, holding a lifetime best of 1:53.51 from April of 2024, which is well under the NCAA cutline, and would have scored and finished 10th this past season.

IM: ★★★

Teagan O’Dell finished 2nd in the 200 IM and 4th in the 400 IM at NCAAs last season; with those points gone from the program, the Golden Bear women will look to other talents to pick them up.

Look no further in the 200 IM than Mia West, who placed 3rd at NCAAs last season in 1:52.96; had she gone the 1:52.30 from ACCs, she would have finished 2nd and potentially contested Lucy Bell of Stanford for the national title.

Ava Chavez also finished 13th in that event at NCAAs in 1:55.79, bringing in another four points to Cal’s total.

West was also the team’s 2nd fastest 400 IMer last season in 4:04.91, more than four seconds slower than O’Dell. West did not swim this event at NCAAs last season, which leaves even more to be desired for this group in 2026-27.

Cal did have Kathryn Hazle race this event last season at NCAAs, finishing 27th in 4:10.74, though she was significantly faster at Cal’s Last Chance meet in 4:06.54, which would have been 18th at NCAAs.

Outside of a nationally contending Mia West in the 200 IM, the 400 IM does not appear to have as much flair for Cal.

Diving: ★★

Despite not having a single diver at NCAAs, Cal landed the #2 diver in the 2026 recruiting class, Madeline Kohel, who may be exactly what the program needs to bring in some much-needed diving points if the Cal women want to move up the ranks.

Another big addition is Egyptian platform diver Malak Tawfik, who could also help add points in the diving events.

Relays: ★★★★

Note that the grading system doesn’t align perfectly for relays as double points.

Relay grading system:

There is a lot to look forward to for Cal’s relays this season, with a big program-defining addition in Rylee Erisman, who is almost an immediate addition to all three freestyle relays, and pretty much bringing back every key sprinter on all of the medley relays; the Golden Bears are in a golden position.

Despite a DQ at NCAAs in the 200 medley, Moluh, Slyngstadli, Jia, and West are all back this season. The 400 medley will probably see some movement; with O’Dell, who anchored the 6th-place 400 medley team, gone, this is another position to potentially throw Erisman, West, or even Weinstein on that anchor.

There should be little to no worry on the free relays, as the options, as previously mentioned, are more than plentiful.

Total Stars: 27.5/40

2026-27 Outlook

The loss of Teagan O’Dell is tough, but the addition of big young talents more than softens the blow.

With a returning NCAA Champion in Claire Weinstein, and other NCAA finalists in Mary-Ambre Moluh, Mia West, and Annie Jia, Cal should be in a more than happy state of mind heading into this season.

This will be the start of the Rylee Erisman era at Cal, with immediate NCAA Championship-contending times and plenty of untapped potential; the program has its eyes set on the top of the mountain once again.

The biggest questions the program will have to answer lie in the 400 IM and 200 backstroke, two areas where O’Dell leaves big points on the board.

Though the loss was sizeable, the impact of its new additions may be bigger. All in all, Cal’s youth keeps it a national powerhouse for women’s swimming development.

Women’s 2026-27 College Preview Index

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