Claire Weinstein, Teagan O’Dell Raise Ceiling for Cal Women This Season
One of these women has been among the best 200 freestylers in the United States for four years running before securing her status among the world’s best with an individual medal at the World Championships. The other has been among the best high school swimmers in the country for the past several years, earning her second consecutive High School Swimmer of the Year nod in 2025.
Now, Claire Weinstein and Teagan O’Dell have teamed up in Berkeley, Calif., as the newest members of the California Golden Bears’ roster. Their addition has Cal set for a quick rise in the national standings; the team has previously won national team titles and earned numerous top-five finishes at the NCAA Championships but not since becoming a combined program under the guidance of Dave Durden in advance of the 2022-23 season.
But in Weinstein, Cal adds a swimmer whose only true domestic rival in the 200-meter free has been Katie Ledecky. Over the summer, Weinstein put on a marvelous performance at U.S. Nationals by winning the 200 free and taking second to Ledecky in the 400, 800 and 1500. Like most swimmers on the U.S. team, illness hampered Weinstein at the World Championships, forcing her to pull out of the 400 free, but she surged in the 200 free, a best time of 1:54.67 in the final good enough for a bronze medal. Her strong leadoff leg helped the U.S. women take silver in the 800 free relay in national-record time.
Weinstein finished her high school days with an almost unprecedented freestyle range. She has best times of 53.72 in the 100 free, 4:00.05 in the 400 free, 8:19.67 in the 800 and 16:01.96 in the 1500. She finished the summer season with world rankings of third (200), fifth (400), seventh (800) and ninth (1500) while also sitting among the top-25 swimmers in the world in the 100 free.
Weinstein owns stellar best times in short course yards as well, including a 500 free time of 4:29.38 that makes her one of only six women ever to crack 4:30. No one has gone under 4:30 in college competition since Ledecky’s departure in 2008, although current collegians (and Weinstein’s former club teammates) Katie Grimes and Bella Sims own quicker personal bests. Weinstein has been as fast as 1:41.10 in the 200 free, which only four swimmers beat at last year’s NCAA Championships. The 1000 free is not contested at major college meets, but it’s worth noting Weinstein’s best of 9:17.85 ranks her fifth all-time.
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
All that, and Weinstein still might not be the most impactful freshman on the Bears’ roster this year. That’s because O’Dell brings elite speed in her best events but also incredible versatility, particularly in short course. During her high school years, O’Dell frequently put on a show at USA Swimming’s Winter Junior Nationals, and she has best times that would have scored in six different events at last year’s NCAA Championships.
O’Dell is most accomplished in the 200 IM, with a best time of 1:52.61 from last December’s Junior Nationals. Only seven swimmers beat that mark at last year’s NCAA Championships, with just two of them back for the 2025-26 season. Additionally, O’Dell has been as fast as 1:42.27 in the 200 free and 1:49.16 in the 200 back, both of which would have been quick enough for fifth place last season. The NCAA event order reshuffle works against O’Dell, likely forcing her to choose between the 200 back and 200 IM, but she also has best times that would have been sufficient for top-16 finishes in the 100 free, 100 back and 400 IM.
O’Dell has yet to achieve the long course success to match up to what she has done in short course, but she is still internationally accomplished. She won the world junior title in the 200 back in 2023 and then Junior Pan Pacs gold in the 200 IM one year later. During the 2025 summer season, O’Dell qualified for three finals at U.S. Nationals (200 back plus both individual medley races), and she went on to earn silver in the 200 IM and 400 IM at the World University Games, coming in behind only U.S. teammate Leah Hayes on both occasions.
Neither Weinstein nor O’Dell has been anywhere close to their best times in the early going this season, but their efforts stack up well against their new collegiate competitors. Entering midseason, Weinstein sits fourth in the country in the 500 free (4:37.14) and sixth in the 200 free (1:42.52). O’Dell ranks third nationally in the 200 IM (1:55.19), sixth in the 400 IM (4:07.94) and seventh in the 200 back (1:51.83). Both swimmers should drop in the rankings this week as Cal is one of few top programs not racing in a midseason meet until after Thanksgiving, so we will wait until December for big swims from this dynamic duo.
Meanwhile, their Cal team could sneak up on some people this year. While Isabelle Stadden and Lea Polonsky are significant losses, the team returns three individual nationals scorers in sprinter Mary-Ambre Moluh, breaststroker Abby Herscu and butterflyer Lilou Ressencourt, while IMer Mia West has looked strong in the early portions of this season, Airi Mitsui is an Olympic semifinalist in the 200-meter fly and Elle Scott is another freshman with strong sprint breaststroke credentials. Don’t sleep on the Golden Bears.
