The exit out of the Pac-12 conference left the Bruins navigating unfamiliar waters.

While uncertainty could have held them back, the squad will find familiarity when it matters the most.

No. 24 UCLA swim and dive (3-5) is headed to the NCAA championships in Federal Way, Washington, from Wednesday to Saturday, with three individual swim qualifiers, three dive qualifiers and four relay teams. The Bruins will return to the venue of the Pac-12 championships, where the team ended its chapter in the conference.

Attendance at practice has waned with the season over for most of the team.

“It’s definitely a different vibe at practice because there’s less people. There are plenty of people who don’t qualify for this meet and they still show up to practice just to support us,” said junior Rosie Murphy. “So we really, really appreciate those people.”

Senior Ana Jih-Schiff and freshman Karolina Piechowicz will make their first appearance at the NCAA championships, with the former qualifying for the 100-yard breaststroke, 200-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley, while the latter qualified for the breaststroke events.

Murphy is returning to the national championships to compete in the 200-yard individual medley, the 400-yard individual medley and the 200-yard backstroke.

And over in the diving well, junior Eden Cheng qualified to compete in the platform – fresh off her March 11 Zone-E win on the event – and the 3-meter diving events. Senior Maya Salvitti will join her in the platform event, while sophomore Molly Brascia is set to compete in the 1-meter dive.

“To have Maya find her way in there in a great final on platform, and have Molly just steady her way in there, by being just good over and over and over again on that last day and into that final – just huge,” said coach Jordan Cordry. “Our whole team was just ecstatic to see, especially Molly and Maya, get those qualifications as first-time qualifiers. So it’s going to be wonderful.”

Bookending each meet, the relays have provided energy for the Bruins this season, often setting school records toward the end of the season.

In addition to her individual races, Jih-Schiff will be in the pool for all four of the Bruin’s relays.

“I definitely get energy being in these relays. In prior years I hadn’t been in as many relays as I’ve seen myself in this year. So this year, I’ve definitely noticed a change in my energy throughout the meet,”Jih-Schiff said. “Being on all the relays, it keeps the momentum going throughout the meet, and I feel it translate into my individual meet events, meaning I get energy from the relays, and then it makes me more energized my individual races, which is super exciting.”

Cordry said it was particularly difficult to decide what the relay teams would look like come the championships after the Bruins broke multiple school records across the relay events this year.

And some of those selected will be swimming multiple relays. Alongside Jih-Schiff, graduate student Emma Harvey will be in four relays, while sophomore Sarah Bennetts, Piechowicz and freshman Claudia Yovanovich – who is from nearby Seattle – will be doubling up at this week’s competition.

“It’s also really exciting because relays are finals only. They only swim in the final session, which at this meet – NCAA Division I swimming – it’s the fastest meet in the world,” Cordry said. “So to get to swim under the bright lights in the finals, in those heats, I’m just really excited.”

The Bruins will dive into the NCAA meet, beginning with the 200-yard medley relay Wednesday.