BERKELEY – California and Texas staged a back-and-forth battle during their dual meet Friday afternoon at Spieker Aquatics Center, but the Longhorns prevailed in the end, 152-148.
 
Overall, the Golden Bears set one school record and two pool records, with four of their race-winning times ranking as the fastest in the country so far this season.
 
"We knew coming in that it was going to be a dogfight to say the least," assistant coach Ian Walsh said. "The women swam their hearts out and we saw some great things happen. As we say day in and day out, it's about progressing and championships aren't on the line in November, so I think we're taking a step in the right direction."
 
The meet came down to the final event – the 400-yard free relay – with Cal needing to sweep the top two spots to force a tie. The foursome of Amy Bilquist, Maddie Murphy, Abbey Weitzeil and Farida Osman came through to win in 3:15.82, which established a pool and Cal dual meet record with the nation's fastest time of the year. Texas, though, took second with the Bears' other relay in third. As a result, the Longhorns emerged with the four-point victory.
 
Bilquist claimed both backstroke events, taking the 100 back in 51.93 and the 200 back in 1:53.24. Her 100 time ranks second nationally, while her 200 time tops the list.
 
"I feel really good about both my races," Bilquist said. "In my 100 back, I felt super strong, and in my 200 back, I felt like I could do another 50, which really makes me excited for the rest of the season and where I'm at with my training right now.
 
"I tried to just go out there and race today and not worry about the times," she added. "The times were like a cherry on top. It's a bummer we didn't win collectively, but I think everyone went out there and fought as hard as they could."
 
In addition to Bilquist, Weitzeil also set a pool and Cal dual meet record with the fastest time in the NCAA, winning the 50 free in 22.09. The old pool mark was 22.18 by Liv Jensen in 2009.
 
Noemie Thomas also put her name atop the national time sheet with her time of 51.89 in a victory in the 100 butterfly.
 
Phoebe Lamay broke her own school record by a point on the 1-meter board when she won the event with a score of 314.18.
 
Cal's divers are next in action Nov. 17-19 at the Texas Diving Invitational, while the swimmers head to the Georgia Fall Invitational Dec. 2-4.