Claire Weinstein Shocks Field, Claims NCAA 500-Free Title and Ends Cal’s Seven-Year Wait

Atlanta—Cal freshman Claire Weinstein stormed from the sixth seed to the top of the podium in the 500-yard freestyle at the women’s NCAA Championships on Friday, snapping a seven-year drought for Golden Bear individual champions and setting a school record in the process.

Weinstein, 19, touched the wall in 4:30.09 at the McAuley Aquatic Center, slicing more than six seconds off her morning preliminary time of 4:36.66. The swim was the fastest in the NCAA this season and left Texas’s Jillian Cox 1.47 seconds behind in second place (4:31.56). Television commentators quickly labeled the outcome “a shocker.”

The victory is Cal’s first individual national title since Abbey Weitzeil won the 50-yard freestyle in 2019 and the program’s first in the 500-free since 2017.

“The last 75 yards of that race I was just replaying all of the special moments from this season,” Weinstein said in a statement released by the school. “I never wanted something so bad, so I dug deep, and thought about all the people that came before me, all the women that made Cal swimming what it is. Now this team is moving in that direction.”

Cal’s 400-yard individual medley relay quartet of Mary-Ambre Moluh, Annie Jia, Elle Scott, and Teagan O’Dell added another school record, placing sixth in 3:25.09.

The championship meet concludes Saturday with the 200 IM, 100 free, 200 butterfly, 200 backstroke, and 400 free relay. Cal sits sixth in the team standings and is positioned for its highest finish since the Bears were national runners-up in 2019. Virginia, chasing its sixth consecutive women’s team title, holds a commanding lead heading into the final day.