The women's swimming and diving team can go somewhere it's never been before this weekend.

With seven swimmers and one diver competing in the NCAA championships at Nassau County Aquatic Complex in Long Island today through Saturday, the Nittany Lions have a chance at placing as a team for the first time in the program's history.

"I'm really excited this year, because when I went in 1999 it was just myself and two other swimmers," diver Jaime Jaax said. "This year a lot more swimmers are going, and I think we can actually do something as a team."

Jaax finished first in the 3-meter diving competition at the NCAA eastern zone qualification meet last weekend, earning her an opportunity to compete in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events.

"I'm really excited," said Jaax, who finished 13th on the 1-meter board at the 1999 championships but dislocated her shoulder before the 3-meter event. "It's my last meet ever, and I'm looking forward to going in and having fun and making it something to remember. Hopefully, I'll score a few points while I'm at it."

Along with Jaax, swimmers Katie Anderson, Kristen Woodring, Corrie Clark, Katie Bruzda, Katie Hostetler, Piper Chamberlin and Megan Smith will represent Penn State.

"This is the most in history," Woodring said. "We're hoping to do pretty well teamwise."

In the team competition, Georgia will be defending its 2000 national championship against top contenders Stanford, Arizona, UCLA and California.

However, Penn State has the chance at a strong team showing, and Woodring leads the way. Her time of 59.77 in the 100-yard breaststroke earned her a second-place seeding behind fellow freshman Tara Kirk of Stanford, who enters with a seed time of 59.51.

"I swam against her at the Olympic trials and at a couple of meets last summer," Woodring said. "We've never really talked before, but we know who each other is."

And, although Woodring is ranked behind Kirk, the top time in the event has fluctuated between the two swimmers all season. Therefore, Woodring has an excellent chance at the title but none of the pressure of being a top seed.

"I just want to do my best," Woodring said. "I just want to place as high as I can, and if I don't win and get my best time I'll be happy. But I really want to win."

Along with her chances in the 100 breast, Woodring is also seeded sixth in the 200 breast with a time of 2:12.60. She will challenge Clark, who is seeded fifth with a time of 2:12.16.

Clark will also compete in the 200 individual medley as the No. 12 seed and the 100 butterfly as a No. 14 seed. Anderson is seeded No. 13 in the 500 freestyle, No. 16 in the 200 free, and No. 36 in the 200 butterfly.

Also competing will be Bruzda (100 back, 200 back), Chamberlin (50 free, 100 free, 100 fly), Hostetler (50 free, 100 free) and Megan Smith (100 fly).

In addition, the Lions will have teams competing in the 200 free, 400 free, and 400 medley relays.

"(Penn State women's swimming head coach Bill Dorenkott's) goal is for us to be All-Americans, and to do that we have to place in the top eight in an event," Woodring said. "So we're hoping to do pretty well in the relays."