The top-ranked Stanford women’s swimming and diving team looks to cap off its season with a national title at this weekend’s NCAA Championships in Minneapolis. Sixteen swimmers and two divers will compete in a total of 42 individual events and five relays at the three-day meet.

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Freshman Danielle Gonzales (above) is part of a Stanford swimming and diving team that has gone a perfect 10-0 this season. Stanford has six top seeds, three second seeds and two third seeds in the NCAA Championships. The team is in good position to win the title but faces fierce competition from Auburn, California, Arizona and Texas A&M. #gallery http://daily.stanford.edu/image/full/7071
Stanford Daily File Photo

Freshman Danielle Gonzales (above) is part of a Stanford swimming and diving team that has gone a perfect 10-0 this season. Stanford has six top seeds, three second seeds and two third seeds in the NCAA Championships. The team is in good position to win the title but faces fierce competition from Auburn, California, Arizona and Texas A&M.

Although the Cardinal has consistently been a top finisher at the championship meet, it has finished fifth the past three years and has not earned a national title since 1998.

“To say we are in the hunt for a national title is an exciting position to be in,” Stanford head coach Lea Maurer said. “You can tell by everyone’s demeanor around the pool that we are contenders and a force to be reckoned with.”

For a Stanford (10-0, 6-0 Pacific-10 Conference) squad that has emphasized team success over individual performance throughout the season, it is especially significant to have such a large number of swimmers competing in the championship meet.

“Having a big group is exciting and a tribute to the group,” Maurer said. “In order for us to do well at the meet, every swimmer who has made it has to do her part.”

Cardinal swimmers hold the top seed in six of the meet’s 18 events. Freshman Julia Smit leads the team with the top seed in three individual events (the 200-yard backstroke and 200- and 400-yard individual medleys). Smit holds an especially dominant position in the 400 IM, with a seed time 5.25 seconds faster than that of the next-fastest competitor.

Smit’s classmate Elaine Breeden is top-seeded in the 200 butterfly and junior Caroline Bruce holds the top position in the 200 breaststroke. Stanford’s 200 medley relay team of Bruce, Breeden, junior Brooke Bishop and another swimmer yet to be announced is also top-ranked.

“Bruce and Bishop are definitely going to be important leaders for the team this weekend, but it is great to have freshmen Breeden and Smit as top contenders,” Maurer said. “The beauty of them is that they are excited and have no idea what to expect. They just love to race and don’t have programmed expectations for the meet.”

Breeden and Smit have already proven they have what it takes to succeed in championship-level competition. At the Pac-10 Championships last month, Smit won the 200 backstroke and 200 and 400 IM events, breaking a 15-year-old school record in the 200 IM. Breeden took the 200 fly at the meet and broke a five-year-old school record.

In addition to the six top seeds, Stanford holds second seeds in three events and third-seeds in two events. Breeden has the second-fastest entry time in the 100 fly, and the 400 medley relay team of Smit, Bruce, Breeden and Bishop is also slated to come in second. Breeden holds the third position in the 200 IM, while Bruce has it in the 100 breast. The team of Smit, Breeden, Bishop and a fourth swimmer (to be announced) holds third in the 200 free relay.

With such impressive seeding, the Cardinal is in good position to claim the national title, but the team acknowledges that it will be going up against tough competition.

“If everything goes our way, there’s a good chance we can win,” Maurer said. “But we can’t predict how the other teams are going to swim, so our task is to focus on what we can control and make sure we have our peak performances.”

Stanford’s main competition for the title include Auburn, California, Arizona and Texas A & M, who are ranked second through fifth, respectively. The Cardinal beat the Tigers, Golden Bears (10-1, 5-1 Pac-10) and Wildcats (8-2, 4-2 Pac-10) in dual meet competition earlier this season, but came in second to Arizona at December’s Texas Invitational Meet and the Pac-10 Championships. Despite the strong competition, Stanford’s squad is confident as it heads into the meet.

“We’re really excited to finally have the championship meet upon us,” Maurer said. “We feel really good about our preparation, and we feel like we are in good position and are ready to be a presence on the national scene.”