Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace had a pretty good performance at the SEC Championships in February.

All the Auburn junior did was set U.S. and NCAA records in the 100-yard freestyle, cementing her place as the 2010-11 SEC Female Swimmer of the Year.

She also clocked the fastest time in the nation in the 50 free this season during the conference meet in Gainesville, Fla., touching the wall in 21.34 seconds, which is also an SEC record.

Now, she’s looking to continue that success this week, as the NCAA Championships begin today at the Lee and Joe Jamail Swimming Center on the campus of the University of Texas, in Austin.

“It’s great to be back and on top this year,” Vanderpool-Wallace said. “My freshman year didn’t go so well. Last year was a little bit better. I’m hoping this year will be my best NCAA’s.

“I’m really excited.”

And she should be.

The junior is the top seed in the nation in the 50 and 100 freestyle events. Her time of 46.81 seconds in the 100 free topped Olympian Natalie Coughlin’s four-year U.S Open record and her eight-year NCAA record.

Vanderpool-Wallace will lead the Tigers’ charge into the three-day championships, as she’ll be swimming in seven different events – 50 free, 100 free, 100 fly, 200-free relay, 400-free relay, 200-medley relay and the 400-medley relay.

It’s a full slate, but one she’ll have to excel in if the Tigers want to place in the top five – a reachable goal, according to head coach Brett Hawke.

Auburn finished eighth last year.

“She has just been focused all year and made a huge impact on the women,” Hawke said of Vanderpool-Wallace. “I think she has given them a lot of confidence. You could tell (Wednesday morning) by the look on her face, she didn’t say a lot, but you could see she wants to win here. That’s good for some of the younger women on the team to know there is someone on the team who is that driven and focused.”

Senior Caitlin Geary will also have a busy three days, competing in five events for the Tigers, including three individual races (100, 200 frees and 200 IM). Emily Bos, a freshman, will also swim in five events, two of them as an individual.

As a team, Auburn will spot 11 swimmers in the NCAA Championships. The Tigers will also have one diver, junior Vennie Dantin.

Dantin placed in the top five in all three diving events (1-meter, 3-meter and platform) in the SEC Championships, including a second-place finish in the 3-meter.

Hawke expects a very competitive national championship event that could come down to the final swim on Saturday night.

“Right now, it’s the SEC champion Georgia team who looks to be the favorite,” Auburn’s head coach said. “They are pretty stacked across the board and are a great team. Then you have your California teams – Cal and Stanford. They are very strong teams. The Texas women’s team is very strong this year as well.

“It’s going to be a very tight team battle. It could easily come down to the final day or the final event, even.”

For Auburn, it’s all about doing its best during each individual swim to help the team’s score.

“Everyone is really excited and pumped up to swim fast,” Vanderpool-Wallace said. “We’re just ready to go.”

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