Hoping to use the luck from last year's victory in the Pac-10 Championship, the Cal women's swimming team returns to the pool in Federal Way, Wash., for today's Short Course National Championships.

Breaking from the normal dual meet schedule, the No. 6 Bears (2-0) will run the same schedule of preliminaries and finals expected at the NCAA championship in the spring.

This is also an occasion for Cal to see competition against some of the top swimmers in the nation.

"It is going to be great to get in some really good racing, not just with other colleges, but with some professional athletes and up-and-coming kids," assistant coach Kristen Lewis-Cunnane said.

"It is a great chance to see competition on a completely national level and see where we are at this time of the year."

Held over the course of three days at the Weyerhaueser King County Aquatic Center, the meet showcases talent from some of America's best swimmers.

"This is a really good opportunity to race against people outside of the college season," sophomore distance swimmer Shelley Harper said.

"We are going to be able to watch some people swim fast and have the chance to watch and learn from them."

And the competition will be fast, considering Olympic athletes like Rebecca Soni, Margaret Hoelzer and Katie Hoff will all be up on the blocks.

With Hoff in attendance, Slovenian-native Sara Isacovic could find herself in a rematch after besting the US Olympian in the 200-meter freestyle in the Beijing Summer Games.

Also competing in Washington is former Bears swimmer Dana Vollmer, who was last year's Swimmer of the Year.

In 2007, Vollmer was a part of the winning relay teams at the Short Course Nationals in Atlanta. Cal walked off the pool deck with a second-place finish behind Auburn, 383-229.

Despite the lineup of contenders, Cal is looking for this meet to be a practice run for what is to be expected for the 2010 NCAA championship.

Senior Alexandra Ellis sees the meet as a time for good practice.

"It is going to be good to swim the NCAA schedule again," she said. "That way, it is not as foreign to our bodies when the time comes."

For Harper, it seems like the meet will be another opportunity for evaluation.

"I have really been working on my stroke efficiency," Harper said. "Being a long distance swimmer, it is about making sure my strokes move me as far as possible each time."

Combining the familiarity of the competitors, pool and schedule, the Short Course National Championships could propel the team into its anticipated dual meets and championships starting in January.

"This is a big meet," Harper said. "People are geared up and ready to go."

Tags: CAL WOMEN'S SWIMMING