STANFORD, Calif. - No. 6 Stanford defeated No. 3 California 153-141 on Saturday afternoon in the Avery Aquatic Center. It marks five straight victories for Stanford against top-25 opponents and an undefeated 7-0 in dual meets.
This is the first season since 2017-18 that the Cardinal finished undefeated in the regular season.
The pool deck was full of energy from the very first event, as California earned a close victory in the 200 medley relay. Stanford's team of Leon MacAlister, Ron Polonsky, Andrei Minakov, and Mason Gonzalez combined for a time of 1:23.98, just three tenths of a second behind California for second place.
From there, the meet became a back and forth affair. Grant Shoults earned a 15 second season-best mark in the 1000 free to take first place in the event with a time of 8:46.79.
Luke Maurer and Preston Forst took second and third respectively in the 200 free. Both finished with season-best times in the event, with Maurer clocking a 1:33.39 and Forst taking a 1:33.63.
Leon MacAlister kept the momentum for the Cardinal in the 100 backstroke, finishing first with a 46.07, another season-best swim. Ron Polonsky, Aaron Sequeira, and Shane Blinkman all finished with season-best marks in the event as well.
The Cardinal finished two, three, four in the 100 breast, with Daniel Roy, Ethan Dang, and Jon Cook finishing in that order. Roy and Cook also took home season-best times which included an NCAA B standard time for the latter.
Jonathan Affeld had an impressive day in butterfly events. The sophomore took home two event victories in the 200 fly and 100 fly. His time of 1:41.42 in the 200 is the fastest by any Stanford swimmer in the event this season, and the third-fastest all-time on The Farm.
His victory in the 100 fly later in the meet came with a time of 45.34, a season-best and the fourth-fastest swim in Stanford history.
In the short distance freestyle events, Andrei Minakov took second in the 50 free with a 19.27 while Rick Mihm finished fifth in the event with a 19.95, good for an NCAA B standard time. Luke Maurer and Mason Gonzalez each recorded a season-best time in the 100 free with Maurer clocking a 43.27 and Gonzalez taking a 43.82.
Leon MacAlister nabbed second in the 200 back with a season-best time of 1:40.28. This mark also placed him seventh all-time in the Stanford record book, one spot above Cardinal great Jeff Rouse.
Preston Forst earned the event win in the 500 free, clocking a 4:14.10, a season-best time by more than a second.
In the 200 individual medley, Ron Polonsky shaved nearly three seconds off of his season record with a 1:42.32. Rick Mihm, Alex Liang, and Shane Blinkman also posted season-best marks, with all three of them earning NCAA B standard times.
Heading into the final event, the 400 free relay, Stanford held a narrow three point lead. The team of Leon MacAlister, Luke Maurer, Jonathan Affeld, and Andrei Minakov combined for the meet winning event victory with a time of 2:49.59.
In the diving pool, Conor Casey, Jack Ryan, and Hunter Hollenbeck finished in that order in both the 1-meter and 3-meter competitions. Ryan recorded a season-best 390.53 on the 1-meter.
Stanford is back in action in two weeks at the Pac-12 Championships in Federal Way, Washington.
