BEARS

Bente Baekers, a Cal field hockey transfer from the Netherlands, had accomplished almost everything a player could dream of before arriving at Berkeley and winning its first conference title since 2006. Previously at Northwestern, she was a perennial All-American and won a NCAA Division I National Championship. Her playing career has spanned oceans and experiences she wouldn’t trade for anything.

After an eventful weekend down in Los Angeles, Cal volleyball added both a victory and a loss to its record. Despite winning earlier on in the season, the Bears fell to No. 24 USC but triumphed over UCLA — whom they had been swept by back on Oct. 13.

Following a 3-0 start to the season, Cal women’s basketball will look to further their win streak at Florida A&M on Monday after visiting Auburn.

The Bears finished their season in Sacramento last Friday, racing in the NCAA West Regionals. The women's team placed 14th and the men's team placed 12th.

This weekend, the Bears will be migrating out of Bear Territory and into a familiar southern territory — Los Angeles. Cal will be facing long-time rivals USC and UCLA on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

I’m a senior. I’m about to graduate. I’m about to get the heck out of here. And that is pretty damn scary, to be honest.

Cal’s new starting kicker Mateen Bhaghani began this season as a walk-on, but was suddenly he was thrust into the spotlight. With pride in both his heritage and athletics, this is only the beginning of the freshman’s journey.

Relentless defense and shots — eventually — falling after a tough shooting night helped the Bears clinch a 71-56 triumph at home against the Santa Clara Broncos.

Cal suffered a 0-4 loss against undefeated Stanford on Friday, marking its most significant shutout loss of the season. The Bears’ final conference record is 4-3-4, with their overall of 7-6-6.

After Cal’s optimistic showing at the Pac-12 Cross Country Championships in Washington, it will race again Friday in Sacramento.