The Arizona men's swimming and diving teams travel to the University of Georgia today to take part in day one of the 2002 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships.

The Wildcats enter the meet ranked ninth in the nation on the heels of a third-place finish at the Pac-10 tournament.

Arizona brings a total of 13 competitors to Athens, Ga., where 48 teams and 270 athletes will face off in the biggest meet of the year.

The cornerstone of Arizona's attempt to win the crown will be senior Roland Schoeman, who has posted the nation's top time in the 50-yard freestyle event. Schoeman, an All-American and former Olympian, is the two-time Pac-10 champion and the current NCAA record holder in the event but has never won a national title - placing third all three years of his collegiate career.

Despite the pressure, Schoeman said he's comfortable with his role on the team.

"It's an overwhelming meet to say the least, and I need to help these younger guys get through it," said Schoeman. "I'm going to go score points, do what I need to do, but if I can encourage them -put them at ease - then I think my job will be done."

Arizona also brings the top diving team in the nation, with its three divers each ranked near the top of the national rankings.

The top diver for Arizona will be senior Omar Ojeda. Ojeda, the two-time Pac-10 Diver of the Year, will be looking to avenge his only loss of the season, to reigning NCAA 3-meter champion Troy Dumais of Texas.

Rounding out the UA diving team will be sophomore Josh Anderson and senior Ruben Vaca, who combined with Ojeda to give Arizona a complete sweep of the Zone E Regional Championships over spring break.

Ojeda is optimistic about the Wildcats' chances going into the meet.

"Our team is as strong as it's ever been," said Ojeda. "We can place in the top eight and make the finals in every single (diving) event."

The frontrunner going into the meet will be No. 1 Stanford, which is fresh off an undefeated season and a conference-record 21st Pac-10 Championship.

Despite the heavy odds, the Wildcats have confidence in their chances at the meet.

"We've got to really come together as a team," said freshman Aram Kevorkian. "It's going to be tough, but we're looking to come home with some hardware."