ATHENS, Ga – On another night of fast racing at the Georgia Fall Invitational, fifth-ranked California surged to the front of a highly competitive field behind six swims that reached the NCAA A qualifying standard Saturday. Leading the charge were Missy Franklin, who posted the top time in the country in the 200-yard freestyle; Celina Li, who held off four Georgia Bulldogs to win the 400 individual medley; and the victorious 800 free relay that became the first collegiate team to break 7 minutes this year.

Through two days of the three-day competition, Cal has 620 points, with No. 2 Georgia next with 587 and No. 9 Virginia third with 483. No. 6 Auburn (246), No. 15 Penn State (243), Florida State (158), Virginia Tech (92), No. 19 UCLA (69) and Harvard (48) round out the entries.

“I was really proud how we got after it in the morning prelims,” head coach Teri McKeever said. “That set us up with 15 A finals swims. It's quite exciting and really a great atmosphere. I think the team is learning a lot. They're inspiring each other and are feeding off each other's energy. We just have to make sure we finish strong tomorrow.”

Franklin, who set the American record in the 200 free on her way to the NCAA title last March, led from the start in Saturday's race and finished in 1:41.23 to begin a Cal sweep of the event. Elizabeth Pelton was next in 1:43.13 with Cierra Runge third in 1:44.12. Both Franklin and Pelton were below the A standard, and their times rank first and third in the country so far this year.

Li stood on the starting blocks of the 400 IM with four hometown Georgia swimmers also in the final. She built a slight lead following a strong breaststroke leg and held off the field for first place in 4:05.13, an NCAA A swim that was both a personal best and the second-fastest time in the nation this year. Georgia's Hali Flickinger was second in 4:05.16, with UGA's Amber McDermott third in 4:05.25, with Bulldog teammates fourth and fifth.

The Bears closed out the evening with first- and fourth-place finishes in the 800 free relay. The reigning NCAA champions in the event, Cal's A squad of Runge, Camille Cheng, Franklin and Pelton finished in 6:55.95, nearly seven seconds ahead of runner-up Georgia. In another show of the Bears' depth, Cal's B team of Catherine Breed, Caroline Piehl, Melanie Klaren and Rachael Acker took fourth in 7:08.75.

Cal started the finals' session with a runner-up showing in the 200 medley relay, coming in behind Virginia. Still, the foursome of Rachel Bootsma, Marina Garcia, Noemie Thomas and Farida Osman made the A standard with a time of 1:36.82.

Osman came back a short time later to claim second in the 100 butterfly in 51.92, with Thomas fourth in 52.21 and Kelly Naze seventh in 52.82. Naze was also seventh in the 400 IM. In the 100 fly B final, Bootsma won in 52.43 and Jasmine Mau was second in 53.00.

Garcia was Cal's lone finalist in the 100 breast, and she came through with a personal best of 1:01.26.

Virginia's Courtney Bartholomew won the 100 back, but Bears claimed the next four positions. Bootsma was second in 51.20 (also an NCAA A time), Franklin and Pelton tied for third in 51.85, and Klaren was fifth in 51.86. All of the Cal times rank among the top six in the NCAA so far this season.