Confidence is no longer a dilemma for Triin Aljand.

If it begins to waver, all the Texas A&M senior need do is take a peek at her long list of swimming accomplishments, both individually and as a member of the Aggie women's swimming and diving team.

On Thursday, Aljand will enter her final meet, the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships, as the most decorated swimmer in A&M history. She is a 17-time All-American with seven Big 12 individual and eight relay titles.

Early in her career, however, Aljand had to be convinced any of that was possible by her coach Steve Bultman.

"I don't think she realized how good she was or how good she could be," Bultman said. "It's been a gradual thing, but that's not uncommon. It happens with a lot of swimmers."

Despite her success, Aljand is not one to brag. She remains silently confident, entering each race believing she can win.

"Part of it is my coaches telling me, but half of it is I have to believe in myself, and that definitely comes with better times and better places that I get at meets," Aljand said.

Part of it also comes from swimming in two Olympics for Estonia.

In Bejing this summer, Aljand set her country's record for the 50-meter freestyle in 25.23 seconds and the 100 butterfly in 59.43.

"This past year has been great for [my confidence]. I'm way more confident," Aljand said. "I feel like in 2004 I was still too young, so this time around I was definitely more confident. I felt I was as good as everyone else."

Aljand held the best time in the country in the 50-yard freestyle earlier this season. She is ranked second entering the NCAA meet.

But for Aljand, there is more to this year's NCAA meet than swimming 50 yards faster than the field. This weeked will be the last meet for four Aggie swimmers in the best class to swim for A&M with Codie Hansen, Marissa Jasek and Christine Marshall joining Aljand.

"It will be really sad because our class is really tight, like a family," Aljand said of the seniors. "I can't wait to see them swim because I know they will be awesome, and it's always fun to do relays with all the girls. I'll definitely miss that."

Two other seniors, Julia Wilkinson and Kristen Heiss, are redshirting this season because of shoulder injuries. Along with Hansen, Jasek, Marshall and Aljand, the group has turned A&M into a top 10 program that finished a school-best fourth at last season's NCAA Championships.

"We were gradually moving up, and this group when we recruited them we thought they could be pretty good, but they've done very, very well," Bultman said. "You can bring in some good swimmers and if they really don't improve that much, if they don't have high goals to accomplish certain things, you may not get much. This group was pretty good coming in and they've all gotten better. They've wanted to accomplish things here, and they've done that."

Aljand has been a big part of it, and she's poised to help A&M score plenty of points this weekend.

Aljand holds the fifth-fastest 100 butterfly time (51.32) and the second-best 100 freestyle time (47.35) entering the meet. Both of those marks and her 22.02 in the 50 are school records.

"She is a sprinter with serious speed, and her mindset was let me do a 50," Bultman said. "Anything more than a 50 was long distance for her when she first got here, and I think she's realized, yes, I can be very good in the 100."

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NOTES -- Aljand's brother, Martti, is qualified for the men's NCAA Championships next week at A&M. The California Bear sophomore recently broke the Pac-10 record in the 200 individual medley. ... Breaststroker Alia Atkinson is the only other Aggie ranked in the top 10 in an individual event. Atkinson is ninth in the 100 breaststroke, fourth in the 200 breaststroke and sixth in the 200 IM. ... A&M's 14 qualifiers mark the largest contingent ever for A&M at an NCAA meet. ...The meet will be shown from 2:30-4 p.m. on March 26 on ESPN2.

NCAA Women's Swimming & Diving Championships

WHEN: Thursday-Saturday (preliminaries begin at 11 a.m., finals at 7 p.m. each day)

WHERE: Texas A&M Student Rec Center Natatorium

TICKETS: Sold out (standing room only available for purchase Thursday morning).

A&M PARTICIPANTS: Triin Aljand, Christine Marshall, Codie Hansen, Marissa Jasek, Alia Atkinson, Melissa Hain, Emily Neal, Sarah Woods, Casey Hurrell-Zitelman, Lindsey King, Jaele Patrick, Maria Sommer, Megan Latone and Rita Medrano.

DEFENDING CHAMP: Arizona