The No. 9 Arizona women’s swimming team begins the Pac-12 Conference Championships today in Seattle. The conference boasts four teams in the nation’s top 10, including the UA, No. 1 Cal, No. 7 USC and No. 8 Stanford.

With gained confidence from their victory over ASU to end the dual meet season, the women look to show their skills while fine-tuning other aspects of their swimming. But though the Wildcats haven’t won the conference meet since 2008, that’s not their main focus.

The UA enters the postseason with its eye on one thing — winning a national championship.

“We will use the Pac-12 to sharpen up our racing skills, make some adjustments,” head coach Eric Hansen said. “And it’s not like we expect to do poorly. We expect to be real good — just better in NCAAs.”

Even though most high-profile teams will be taking their foot slightly off the gas, the conference championships will mean something different to each athlete. Many seniors will see this as the last time to participate in the Pac-12 tournament while younger swimmers are excited to participate in such a competitive atmosphere.

Junior Monica Drake and sophomore Sarah Denninghoff said they see being part of the Pac-12 as an honor but more importantly are happy to be with Arizona.

“It feels great to be part of Pac-12 swim and dive because it is the most competitive swim and dive conference,” Drake said. “It is an honor to be at the Pac-12 and be competing with some of the best teams that are going to be at NCAA.”

The Pac-12 Championships are a four-day event, and today’s events will consist of the 200-meter medley relay and the 800-meter freestyle relay.