Aug. 16, 2004

ATHENS, Greece - Led by a gold medal from swimmer Natalie Coughlin, several Cal athletes were active on Monday at the 2004 Athens Games. Here's a breakdown of how the Golden Bears performed and a look ahead to tomorrow's action. Women's Swimming
Former Cal swimmer Natalie Coughlin won her first Olympic gold medal of her career with a win in the 100-meter backstroke. Coughlin, the only woman ever to swim under 1 minute in the event, took top honors today with a time of 1 minute, 0.37 seconds. Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, who swims at Auburn University in Alabama, earned the silver in 1:00.50. Laure Manaudou of France took bronze in 1:00.88. Cal alum Haley Cope was eighth in the final of the 100-meter backstroke at 1:01.76. Last Saturday, Coughlin collected a silver medal as part of the U.S. 4x100-meter freestyle relay. Cal head coach Teri McKeever is an assistant coach for the United States' women's swimming team. 100-meter backstroke results Softball
Greece defeated Italy, 3-0, in preliminary-round action from the Olympic Softball Stadium. Cal junior Lindsay James started in left field for Greece and was 0-for-2 with a run scored. James, whose great grandfather, Anastasious Thimis, was Greek, scored the second run in her team's two-run first inning. Cal head coach Diane Ninemire is an assistant coach for the Greek team. Cal alum Nicole DiSalvio (pitcher) did not enter the game for Italy. Greece vs. Italy Results Women's Water Polo
The United States women's water polo team, with former Cal standouts Ericka Lorenz and Heather Petri, won its opening match of the 2004 Olympic Games, defeating Hungary, 7-6, at Athens' Olympic Aquatic Centre Indoor Pool. Lorenz and Petri each saw action for Team USA. Kelly Rulon scored her second goal of the match with 4:25 left in the contest to secure the win for the Americans. Brenda Villa led Team USA with four goals and had tied the match, 6-6, in the fourth period before her pass to Rulon set-up the game-winning score. Natalie Golda notched the other goal for the Americans with a shot in the first period. The USA women will next face continental rival Canada in group play, Wednesday, August 18. The United States last played Canada this past May, defeating the Canadians, 8-3, in the semifinals of Russia's Kirishi Cup. Lorenz (2001-02) and Petri (1997-99, 01) played for the United States at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in the first-ever Olympic competition for women's water polo, helping Team USA to a silver medal. Lorenz then played for the Golden Bears from 2001-02, earning first-team All-America and first-team All-MPSF honors as a freshman and recording 81 goals in two seasons. Petri earned All-America and All-MPSF honors at Cal in 1998 and 1999 and finished her college career with 96 goals. U.S. vs. Hungary Results Women's Beach Volleyball
Holly McPeak, who played at Cal from 1987-89, teamed with Elaine Youngs to defeat Canada's Guylaine Dumont and Annie Martin in three sets, 21-13, 12-21, 15-9, in Pool D action at the Olympic Beach Volleyball Centre. In 1987 at Cal, McPeak was named National Freshman of the Year. Match Results Looking Ahead - Tuesday, Aug. 17
Joy Fawcett, a three-time Cal All-American in the 1980s, will assume her long-standing spot on the United States' back line in Group G play action against Australia. Kick-off is live at 8 a.m. PT on MSNBC. Fawcett helped the United States secure shutouts in both of their games so far - a 3-0 triumph over Greece Aug. 11 and a 2-0 win over Brazil Aug. 14. Results and Schedules Sean Marks, who played basketball at Cal from 1995-98, will compete for New Zealand against China at 11 p.m. PT tonight (9 a.m. Athens time). Results and Schedules Cal's Peter Cipollone (United States), Scott Frandsen (Canada), Megan Dirkmaat (United States) and Laurel Korholz (United States) will compete in various crew heats. Results and Schedules