The 2012 Summer Olympics will dominate the sports scene by the end of July. But to get to London, everyone -- even Michael Phelps -- has to qualify.
And competing against the superstars for those precious spots will be a number of Virginia Tech athletes.
"Four years ago I was going, wow those guys are incredible, I'll never be able to get there," said Logan Shinholser, the ACC's Male Diver of the Year. "Now I have a shot so it is a great feeling."
The Hokie swimming and diving teams are coming off a fantastic season, finishing a program-best second at the ACC Championships.
The momentum is only growing as Tech will send its most-ever contestants to the U.S. Olympic Trials.
"To have a chance to reach the pinnacle of our sport is what it's all about," says Ned Skinner, head of the swimming and diving programs at Virginia Tech.
"It just kind of speaks for our program as really starting to get to the highest level," adds head diving coach Ron Piemonte. "I couldn't be more excited to have that much representation at the meet."
The diving trials run June 17-24 in Seattle and the swimming competition will be June 25-July 2 in Omaha.
Five divers from Tech will head to Seattle while more than twenty swimmers will represent the Hokies in Omaha.
Junior swimmer Heather Savage, the ACC record-holder in the 100 butterfly, appreciates the company, "We've got a big group of kids that are going so I guess that'll make it a lot more fun to have so many people from the team kind of going with us."
ACC Female Diver of the Year Kaylea Arnett agrees, "It's definitely a valuable experience just to help you get comfortable competing in that kind of spotlight."
Besides the U.S. Trials, Tech will have swimmers representing four other countries as well.
