The Arizona men's and women's track and field teams return to Seattle for the Mountain Pacific Conference Championships today and tomorrow.

The event, hosted by Washington, will feature 23 squads from 13 schools.

If the latest rankings are any indication, the competition at this event will be stiff.

In the U.S Track Coaches Association's men's rankings, No. 8 UCLA is the team to beat. The Wildcats come in ranked 31st.

In the men's poll, the Cardinal lead the men at No. 4, while Oregon and UCLA are not far behind at 10th and 17th, respectively.

On the women's side, Washington is ranked 23rd, followed closely by Arizona at 28th and UCLA at 31st.

Head coach Fred Harvey said the field should offer stiff competition.

"(The competition) should be very formidable," Harvey said.

Fortunately, the Wildcats are familiar with the facility, as they competed in Washington two weeks ago at the Pac-10 Invitational.

"(The facility) is really different from many other indoor facilities," Harvey said. "When the athletes warm up, all the fans are in the infield. It can be nerve-wracking if you are not used to that environment."

Though a lack of mental and physical preparation has plagued the Wildcats this season, Harvey thinks that won't be a problem at this event.

"(Our) attitude towards competition has changed dramatically the last couple of weeks, and our success at the Pac-10 Invitational gave the men a lot more confidence going into the Mountain Pacific Championships," Harvey said.

"There's more pressure because there's a goal to obtain: to qualify for nationals," said freshman sprinter Roberto Chozet.

However, Chozet said he believes the pressure won't significantly affect the Wildcats.

"Practices have been a lot longer, a lot more strenuous and a lot more competitive recently," he said.

"We should have great success and (both our men's and women's teams) should rank in the top four, which is the upper echelon at this competition," Harvey said.