YOUR HOT SPOT Make the Claremont Hotel Club & Spa your Cal Basketball Season homebase. Stay with us and enjoy elegant rooms, a day at the Spa, tness at the Club and post game at the Paragon – and of course gorgeous views at every turn. www.claremont-hotel.com 41 Tunnel Road, Berkeley, CA 94705 CONTENTS SPORTS FEATURES QUARTERLY A Bond Nearly a Decade in the Making 10 What began in the hallways of Bishop WINTER 2013-14 Montgomery High School in Torrance, Calif., outside of Los Angeles nearly nine years ago has evolved to a special bond on and off the bas- ketball court in Berkeley today. Seniors Justin Cobbs and Richard Solomon first met early in their prep careers and have evolved into leaders for the Golden Bears. ON THE COVER One Cool Competitor 14 Creative Processing 8 Sophomore swimmer Elizabeth Pelton under- stands how to perform under pressure. She’s Lindsay Gottlieb is a film junkie. The Cal women’s basketball gained places on three different World Cham- coach watches countless hours of games, analyzing, learning pionships teams, been named the 2013 Pac-12 and critiquing plays, sets and tendencies. But when she breaks Swimmer of the Year and set an American re- down and watches film of her Golden Bears, she hears another cord in the 200-yard backstroke. But there was voice yelling out instructions or encouragement other than the one painful instance where her coolness got one in her head – the one belonging to senior Mikayla Lyles. away that has shaped who she is today. Alan Mendelson: All In for Cal 22 A grandson of immigrants who was born and raised in San Francisco and became a successful Silicon Valley attorney on the strength of his de- gree from the University of California, Alan Men- delson in some ways fits the classic profile of an alumnus from the 1960s. But his devotion to his alma mater, in Intercollegiate Athletics and oth- er areas, has been close to unparalleled. Thriving in the Team Concept 28 Super sophomore record-holders Josh Prenot and Jacob Pebley took unconventional routes to become Golden Bears, but both are now on straight ahead paths to lead the Cal men’s swim- ming & diving team to another run at an NCAA title … and to compete for a spot on the 2016 Olympic Team. Engineering Success 30 Sophomore Serena Leong describes her first preseason as a Cal women’s gymnast as pathet- ic. But after huffing and puffing her way through training while battling self-doubt and uncertain- ty last fall, she eventually smiled and flipped her way to Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors with a standout year in the classroom, as well. DEPARTMENTS LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS ..................................2 SIDELINE REPORT ...............................................................................4 WHERE ARE THEY NOW? .................................................................16 SEASON PREVIEWS ..........................................................................18 FACES IN THE CROWD .....................................................................27 ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT ...............................................................34 WINTER 2013-14 1 LETTER from Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour SPORTS Dear Friend of Cal Athletics: QUARTERLY ithin intercollegiate athletics, things can appear easy on the outside when the wins Issue 46 – WINTER 2013-14 pile up and championships are won, when graduation rates are soaring and when the financial coffers are full. We have certainly seen our share of success in all three ATHLETIC ADMINISTRATION Wareas recently – a combined 34 medals in the last two Olympics, regular top-10 DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS: finishes in the Directors’ Cup, nine teams above 90 percent in the latest Graduation Success Sandy Barbour Rate figures, and generous contributions that enable us to DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS/CHIEF OF support the total student-athlete experience at Cal. STAFF: Teresa Kuehn Gould As we all know, the ebb and flow of daily life doesn’t always DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS/COO: go the way we want. In those moments, there is one word Solly Fulp that comes to my mind: Resolve. Putting student-athletes at EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATE AD/DIRECTOR OF the forefront of our attention every day, we are resolved to ADVANCEMENT: provide the conditions they need for success. That principle Phil Esten never wavers. Within that philosophy, we also must be good SENIOR ASSOCIATE AD/INTERCOLLEGIATE stewards of our resources and serve our many stakeholders SERVICES: in a variety of ways. At times, we make decisions that may Foti Mellis not always be popular, but they are done in the best interest SENIOR ASSOCIATE AD/CFO: David Secor of Cal and Cal Athletics. There is no doubt that we have just completed a challeng- EDITORIAL STAFF ing fall semester. In particular, wins didn’t come as expected 349 Haas Pavilion Berkeley, CA 94720 on the football field, and graduation rates for a few of our pro- EDITOR: grams did not meet our expectations. We have listened to your voices and we have seen and Herb Benenson heard what has been reported in the media. However, we are not shying away from such news. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Instead, we are as determined as ever to bring each and every deficiency back up to our high Scott Ball, Dean Caparaz, Doug Drabik, Miquel standards. To help us reach that end, in November, I called for a special faculty-led task force Jacobs, Nicole Loscavio, Anton Malko, Kyle that will identify and examine key factors that impact the total student-athlete experience at McRae, Tim Miguel, Jonathan Okanes, Mara Rudolph, Jordan Stepp Cal and offer actionable recommendations to our policies and practices by June of 2014. DESIGN: Within our football program, Sonny Dykes has shown that he is an educator at heart. He Evan Kerr and his staff are creating a culture to allow their student-athletes to connect to the University PHOTOGRAPHY: and be enthusiastic and proud to be Golden Bears. I am absolutely convinced that we have John Todd (GoldenBearSports.com), Michael the right man leading the program and that we are on the path to success. Although change Pimentel, Michael Burns, Richard Ersted, Don Feria, Evan Kerr, Mollie McClure, Nathan can take time, positive outcomes are starting to show, particularly in the academic area. Phillips, among others When the NCAA releases the next set of graduation results, football’s rate is expected to be ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE 65 percent for freshmen who entered in 2007 – a more than 50 percent year-over-year im- 195 Haas Pavilion provement – while the team’s Academic Progress Rate is estimated to be 969 for the 2012-13 Berkeley, CA 94720 academic year, which projects to a nearly 85 percent graduation rate. Progress indeed, and (510) 642-2427 we still have further to go. [email protected] The clearest indication that we share a community that believes in our overall mission came ATHLETIC TICKET OFFICE (800) GO BEARS just this past Dec. 3 when we participated in #GivingTuesday, the new nationwide initiative For daily updates on Cal Athletics, including that kicks off the end-of-the-year giving season. Current and for- schedules, press releases and player profiles, mer student-athletes across the spectrum of sports expressed visit the department’s official website at CalBears.com. their compassion by volunteering their time to serve others in the Bay Area, while our Golden Bear fans and alumni contributed ON THE COVER nearly half a million dollars in one day to Cal Athletics. Mikayla Lyles has enhanced her creative skills by working on websites, videos and photogra- Your support empowers us to strive for the high ideals phy with the Cal women’s basketball team. expected at the world’s No. 1 public university. Together, we should hold out for nothing less. Go Bears, General Manager: Mike Kohler Sandy Barbour (510) 643-4825 [email protected] Director of Athletics The Cal Sports Quarterly is published four times per year by the University of California Athletic Department. 2 CAL SPORTS QUARTERLY THAT’S GOOD www.bigotires.com • 1.800.NEWTIRE WINTER 2013-14 3 Cal Holds Special Place for Kabam Leadership hen Kabam co-founder and CEO Kevin Chou ad- dressed the crowd gathered to hear the announce- Wment that his company had secured field naming rights to California Memorial Stadium, his words came from the heart. Growing up in Moor- park, Calif., as the son of immigrants to the United States, Chou spoke of his journey to Berkeley and Kabam staff who are Cal graduates pose on Kabam Field at California meeting incredible people Memorial Stadium. from all walks of life on “From the beginning, it was essential that we find a naming campus. rights partner that would promote a meaningful association “A confluence of ideas, with our department and the campus as a whole, as well as of cultures, of people, of value the academic and athletic excellence of our University,” innovation,” Chou said. “It Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour said. “As a company, Ka- Kevin Chou was such an awakening bam projects innovation and high performance, two character- for me in terms of learning istics we value highly in Cal Athletics. Kabam Field at California about the world and learning about myself and having an in- Memorial Stadium recognizes the important new partnership credible education at the same time.” and keeps the stadium’s cherished name, now and forever.” Now, Cal and Kabam have formed a 15-year partnership re- Mike Li, one of three co-founders who graduated from Cal, naming the field “Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadi- originated the business plan for what eventually would be- um.” Valued at nearly $18 million, it is the largest field naming come Kabam in Engineering 110, a class he took in Bechtel rights deal in college sports. Hall.