COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The winner of the 2009 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships wasn’t determined until the championship’s final event, but the Georgia Lady Bulldogs came up short of their fifth school championship as they finished in second place at the national meet, held at the Student Recreational Center Natatorium at Texas A&M Saturday night.

Instead, Georgia earned its fifth runner-up finish in program history, ending the three-day meet with 400.5 points. The California Bears finished with 411.5 points, earning its first program title. Arizona was third with 389, Stanford was fourth with 312.5 and Texas was fifth with 307.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our kids,” head coach Jack Bauerle said. “This was one of the closest national meets ever and we are glad to be a part of it. We had some exceptional performances from Chelsea Nauta, Morgan Scroggy, Wendy Trott and Michelle McKeehan, and a really nice feeling is that our hot shots are young guns. The experience we have at this meet will service us well for the next couple years.

“It is exciting to get a few championships, Allison Schmitt in the 500 and Wendy in the 1,650,” Bauerle said. “And it was great to see that 200 medley relay victory; that was a great effort and was an unexpected surprise and one of those kids was a walk on with an academic scholarship, Lisa Caprioglio, who did a great job at this meet.”

Cal held a slim one point lead, 371.5-370.5 heading into the 400 freestyle relay, the final event. However, Cal won the event in NCAA record time, while Georgia came in fourth place to seal its second place finish at the championships. The 400 freestyle relay team of Schmitt, Nauta, Kelly McNichols and Scroggy did finish with a school record time 3:12.33 in the event. It was Scroggy’s seventh finish in the top eight at the championship meet.

Likely the most significant race that helped Georgia keep it close was the 1,650 freestyle. Trott claimed Georgia’s third national championship of the meet with a school-record time of 15:45.49 to earn the win. Nauta, who swam in the fourth preliminary heat of the morning, checked in fifth overall with a time of 15:55.37. Kelsey Ditto finished 17th overall with a time of 16:09.29

“Chelsea was terrific; she’s not a natural miler and she gave us a chance to win with that swim,” Bauerle said. “All you can ask for is a chance and we got it, but Cal swam great and they were the best team here and hats off to them.”

In the 100 freestyle final, Scroggy finished fourth, her sixth top eight finish at the time, in the championship heat with a time of 47.81. In the 200 backstroke, Aleksandra Putra advanced to the championship final, where she finished seventh overall with a time of 1:53.62.

In the 100 butterfly consolation final, Annie Broome held her spot in the race, finishing second in her heat, 10th overall, with a time of 1:54.95.

In the 200 breaststroke, Georgia placed two swimmers in the consolation final as McKeehan finished sixth, 14th overall, in a time of 2:10.39 and Mhyria Miller finished seventh, 15th overall, in a time of 2:10.55.

In Saturday morning’s preliminaries, Kristen Shickora swam to a time of 1:55.26 in the 200 backstroke, which placed her 27th overall. In the 200 breaststroke preliminaries, Colleen Haase finished just outside of the top 16 in 17th place with a time of 2:10.87. In the 200 butterfly, Caprioglio finished 26th overall in a time of 1:57.10 and Allison Schmitt finished 42nd overall in a time of 2:02.74.

In the 100 freestyle preliminaries, Courtney Monsees finished in 31st place overall with a time of 49.06, McNichols checked in with a time of 49.17, Jessica Cole was 38th in 49.37, Anne-Marie Botek finished in 41st with a time of 49.48 and Erica Malagon finished 49th in a time of 49.78.

Off the platform tower, Hannah Moore concluded her effort at the 2009 NCAA Championships with a 23rd place finish, totaling a score of 186.65.

A year removed from not sending any individual or relay to the top spot on the awards podium, Georgia had three national championship efforts this weekend. Schmitt won the 500 freestyle; the 200 medley relay team of Shickora, McNichols, Caprioglio and Botek won top honors; and Trott was victorious in the 1,650 freestyle.

Last year at the NCAA Championships, the Bulldogs finished seventh with 198 points. At this year’s meet, Georgia surpassed that point total midway through the second day and was in contention for the team championship from the beginning. Georgia brought a full squad of 18 student-athletes, of which 16 scored points for the Bulldogs, which includes relay participants.

“Last year, we were seventh and after today, it feels great to be back where we are accustomed to being,” Bauerle said. “We have a lot to look forward to next year and this should be fuel to the fire. To be third at conference and to get second at NCAAs is no small feat.”

Georgia concluded its season with a 9-0 dual meet record and a third-place showing in the SEC Championships, in addition the its second place effort at the national meet.