MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 4 California men's swimming & diving team claimed five victories on Saturday evening at the Jean K Freeman Aquatic Center to finish on top of the standings at the Minnesota Invitational.
 
The Golden Bears won the team championship after totaling 2096 points after Cal received individual wins from Matthew Chai, Keaton Jones, Destin Lasco and Yamato Okadome while placing first in the 400-yard freestyle relay along with two NCAA A qualifying times.
 
The final day began with the 1,650-yard freestyle when Chai earned first-place honors with an NCAA B-cut time of 14:49.18, lowering his own time to rank sixth all-time in program history in the event.
 
In the next event, the 200-yard backstroke, four Bears finished in the top eight spots led by Jones with a NCAA B-cut time of 1:39.76. Humberto Najera followed behind to take second in a time of 1:40.49, while Tommy Roder and Kai Crews (1:45.43) finished in fourth and eighth (1:45.43), respectively. Najera and Roder clocked NCAA B provisional times. In the B-final, Gabriel Jett secured an NCAA A-cut time of 1:38.31, the fifth-fastest time in the country this season. That time places Jett tied for fifth in program history in the 200-yard back.
 
The 100-yard freestyle was dominated by Cal. Five Bears claimed the top five spots led by Lasco (42.59), Nans Mazellier (42.74), Nikolas Antoniou (42.81), Samuel Quarles (43.08) and Trent Frandson (43.13). All five times were good enough for NCAA B-cut times. Colby Hatton took seventh with a time of 43.68.
 
Okadome earned his second win of the meet after clocking a 1:52.49 in the 200-yard breaststroke, the tenth-fastest time in the country this season and tenth all-time in program history. Hank Rivers took second (1:52.93), while Jacob Soderlund and Carter Lancaster placed fourth (1:54.43) and seventh (1:55.91), respectively. All times were good enough for NCAA B-cut times.
 
In the final individual event of the night, Cal finished with four in the top eight of the 200-yard butterfly. Frank Applebaum claimed second (1:42.78), followed by Tyler Kopp in fourth (1:44.24), August Vetsch in seventh (1:44.86) and Michael McGillivray in eighth (1:47.09). Applebaum, Kopp and Vetsch clocked NCAA B provisional times.
 
In the final event of the meet, the 400-yard freestyle relay, Cal secured another NCAA A-cut time of 2:48.79 with the A lineup of Mazellier, Bjorn Seeliger, Lasco and Jett – the tenth-fastest time in the nation this season.
  
The Bears return to the pool to compete against USC on Saturday, Jan.18, in their first home meet of the season at Spieker Aquatics Complex.