Sept. 24, 2008
BERKELEY, CALIF. - After celebrating repeat national titles in men's water polo, rugby and men's freshman eight crew - plus senior men's gymnast Tim McNeill capturing his third-straight pommel horse title and second-straight crown on the parallel bars, and junior Katie Morgan placing first in the women's pole vault - the University of California Athletic Department will be recognizing its 2007-08 national champions with its third annual National Championship Week, slated for Sept. 29-Oct. 4, 2008.
The Golden Bears again captured a pair of national team titles with Cal's men's water polo winning its NCAA-record 13th crown with a repeat victory over USC, and the Bears' rugby squad capturing its 24th overall title and fifth consecutive crown with a third-straight national championship victory over BYU. Cal's freshman eight crew edged rival Washington at the 2008 Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta for its second national title in a row after topping Brown in 2007. Individually, McNeill became the most successful male gymnast in school history when he won his fifth national championship in three years, while Morgan became Cal's first female NCAA champion in a field event since Shelia Hudson won the long jump and triple jump in 1990.
A series of events have been planned to celebrate these extraordinary achievements, culminating with activities during the Oct. 4 Arizona State-Cal Homecoming football game at Memorial Stadium.
"In collegiate athletics, a national championship is the ultimate accomplishment and comes as a result of years of hard work, determination and perseverance," said Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour. "Establishing a National Championship Week is our way of publicly recognizing these tremendous achievements and formally offering our congratulations to the student-athletes, coaches and staff that helped make a dream of a national championship come true."
On Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 11 a.m., immediately prior to head football coach Jeff Tedford's weekly press conference, Cal's two-time national champion men's water polo coach Kirk Everist will unveil the 2007-08 national championship display case and highlight video in Memorial Stadium's Hall of Fame Room. In attendance for the unveiling will be Tim McNeill and Katie Morgan, plus rugby representatives Rikus Pretorius, Louis Stanfill, Keegan Engelbrecht, Colin Hawley, Christopher Biller and head coach Jack Clark. Members of the 2007 national champion men's water polo team at the unveiling will include Michael Sharf and Frank Reynolds.
To offer year-round acknowledgement, two national championship display cases, complete with photos, trophies and other memorabilia, will be established at Haas Pavilion and in the Memorial Stadium Hall of Fame Room. In addition, a 2007-08 national champion highlight video created by the athletic department's Tsubasa Onozaki will be running continuously on the first floor of Haas Pavilion on a new flat screen television and will be featured on CalBears.com.
Among the other events scheduled are: a celebratory reception hosted by Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and Mary Catherine Birgeneau at University House on campus Tuesday evening, a staff appreciation luncheon on Wednesday afternoon and a Coaches' Round Table Thursday night that will provide a forum for the championship coaches to share their experiences. On Saturday, the champions will be introduced at halftime of the ASU-Cal Homecoming football game.
In its history, Cal has now claimed 76 national team titles in 13 different sports and 198 individual, relay and tennis doubles titles. In all, Golden Bear student-athletes have captured 127 individual national crowns in the sports of men's and women's track & field, men's and women's tennis, men's gymnastics, men's and women's swimming and women's golf. Additionally, Cal boats have had 35 national champion crews since 1928, and the Bears own 23 national relay titles in track & field and swimming, and 13 national titles in tennis doubles.
The Bears' 2007 men's water polo team, coached by Kirk Everist, finished 28-4 and successfully defended its national title as Cal upended USC, 8-6, in the NCAA Championship match December 2 at Avery Aquatics Center on the Stanford campus. Senior Michael Sharf, who led Cal in scoring with a school-record 98 single-season goals, was named the 2007 NCAA Tournament MVP. Seniors Adam Haley and Zac Monsees notched two goals apiece in the title match, and senior goalie Mark Sheredy finished with 11 saves.
On April 19 at Stanford's Maples Pavilion, McNeill won two more individual national gymnastics titles by recording scores of 15.650 on the parallel bars and 15.625 on the pommel horse. His titles on pommel horse and parallel bars were a successful defense of championships he won in 2007. McNeill is only the second Cal gymnast to win two NCAA titles in the same year, and the first Bear to do it twice, joining Graham Ackerman, who won the floor exercise and vault in 2004. McNeill's victory on the pommel horse was a successful defense of his 2006 and 2007 national titles. He became only the fifth Cal gymnast all-time to repeat as national champion on a particular event.
Cal rugby captured its 24th collegiate crown, and 16th in the past 17 years, with a 59-7 decision over BYU May 3 at Stanford's Steuber Rugby Stadium. Senior captain Rikus Pretorius was named the 2008 tournament MVP as the 24-1 Bears defeated the Cougars in the national title match for the third year in a row. Head coach Jack Clark won his 20th national crown in his 25th season as the leader of Cal rugby.
The Bears' freshman eight crew continued their dominance with a victory over northwest rival Huskies on June 7 at the 2008 IRA Regatta on the Cooper River in Camden County, N.J. Cal won its freshman eight national title in one of the closest grand final finishes of the day, edging Washington by less than one second, 5:37.372-5:37.880. The Bears, under the tutelage of Cal frosh/novice coach Geoff Bond, have now won four of the last five freshman eight championships at the IRA Regatta. The Bears' 2008 freshman eight crew consisted of coxswain Daniel Freisinger, Nick Lucey, Goran Todorovic, Jovan Popovic, Calum Wright, Jordan Sartor, Samuel Walker, Spencer Crowley and Rush Martin.
At the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, held June 11-14 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, Morgan capped off her tremendous season by winning the NCAA pole vault title. She won the national title with a mark of 13-9.25 (4.20m), edging out three other vaulters who had reached the same height, but was the only athlete not have a miss through the first four rounds. Morgan earned All-America honors for the first time in her career after breaking the Cal school record in the pole vault four times during the 2007-08 season.
Cal's National Champions in 2007-08Team 2007 Men's Water Polo
2008 Rugby
2008 Men's Freshman Eight Crew
Individual
2007-08 3 Tim McNeill, men's gymnastics - pommel horse, 15.625; parallel bars, 15.650
Katie Morgan, women's outdoor track & field - pole vault, 13-9 1/4
