Thursday was another successful dual meet at Spieker Aquatics Complex for the Cal women's swimming team, which sent Fresno State home with its tail between its legs, 166-111.

As seen in the season opener against Pacific weeks ago, the Bears swept the top spots in all events, with Colleen Fotsch, Heather White and Shelley Harper all taking home two wins.

"We talked before the meet about how we wanted to race each other and this experience will definitely help us in the future," Harper said.

Sophomore Harper, who assistant coach Kristen Lewis-Cunnane said showed great leadership, took won both the 1,000-yard freestyle as well as the 100-yard breaststroke.

"It was also fun to see Colleen Fotsch break out and swim fast today," Lewis-Cunnane said.

Fotsch, the sophomore transfer from Notre Dame, has taken the new experience of being a part of a successful team to heart in relishing the warm welcome of her new teammates. Last year with the Irish, Fotsch was a standout, starting off as the first leg of the 200-yard medley relay that set the school record at 1:39.29.

"Every adjustment is hard, but because they are so welcoming, I feel so happy to be a part of this team," Fotsch said. "Three years with this team will not be enough."

The team's energy not only encouraged one another, but spread to friendly fraternizing with the Bulldogs.

"We had the chance to bond with Fresno State," Harper said. "I was joking around with one of the girls before the race when there was a delay."

The friendly relations could have come from the familiarity that Cal coach Teri McKeever had with the Bulldogs' program, having had coached there 18 years ago.

"It was really special for our team to be able to swim against Fresno State, because that is where Teri began her career as a head coach," Lewis-Cunnane said. "It brought back good memories for her and her roots. Teri's good friend is actually the head coach right now."

There was much to take from this meet, considering that the swimmers are in the midst of the hardest time of the year. Despite the fact that there have only been two official dual meets, the Bears have put in months of training in already looking towards the end of the season where Pac-10 and NCAA championships await.

"This is the hardest time of year for us," Fotsch said. "After Thanksgiving we have Pac-10s and the NCAAs. Even though it seems like it never ends, our season is actually really short."

With two successful dual meets behind them, the future holds some traveling for Cal in the next couple months. Hopes for defending their national title seem to be on their minds as they continue to learn from their dual meet experiences.

"I just hope we can build but not dwell on last year," Harper said. "We are creating a team atmosphere and with that mentality I hope we can do something great."

Tags: CAL WOMEN'S SWIMMING, KRISTEN LEWIS-CUNNANE, COLLEEN FOTSCH