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National Championship Week caps banner year

By Public Affairs

For Golden Bears, 2011-12 was a banner year, and Cal’s student-athletes received a well-deserved heroes’ welcome last week at a reception hosted by Chancellor Robert Birgeneau at University House.

There was plenty to celebrate during Berkeley’s seventh annual National Championship Week. The year saw the Cal women’s swimming and diving team take its third national title in four years, while Cal men surprised the swimming world by winning their second straight national team title. At the 2012 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships, Glen Ishino perpetuated Cal’s dominance with the school’s fourth national title on the pommel horse since 2000.

Overall, Berkeley student-athletes won 10 individual NCAA crowns in 2011-12, more individual national titles than any other year in school history. (For details, visit the Cal Athletics website .)

“In collegiate athletics, a national championship is the ultimate accomplishment and comes as a result of years of hard work, determination and perseverance,” said Athletic Director Sandy Barbour. “National Championship Week is our way of publicly recognizing these tremendous achievements and formally offering our congratulations to the student-athletes, coaches and support staff that helped make a dream of national championships become a reality. This is a time for a very special celebration.”

More information about the celebration, plus photos and a video, are available on the Cal Athletics website .