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(EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first in a three-part series on local swimmers competing in this week's U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials).

It's been a long, mostly frustrating four years at Indiana University for former Catholic Central swimming phenom John Kevin Koehler.

The multiple state champion came out of nowhere and made the finals of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 1,500 meters as a precocious 18-year-old and ended up eighth overall. His future looked limitless, and expectations were high — and hard to live up to.

Koehler improved, but not as much as he or onlookers had hoped. Suddenly, others were passing him. By the end of his junior year, his progress was nearly at a standstill.

But all that changed three weeks ago when Koehler shaved a whopping 14 seconds off his best time with a 15:22.67 in a meet in Omaha, Neb.

All of a sudden, he's the 11th fastest going into this weekend's Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb., and has his highest-ever world ranking — 53rd.

"The coaches were coming up to me and telling me, 'Wow, that was an amazing swim,' " said Koehler. "My old coach said, 'I believe you can go below 15 minutes.'

"It definitely gave me some confidence. Before, I struggled for so long. I only dropped three seconds last year.

"It kind of boosted my confidence that there are folks out there that still think I can do big things. What a time to have a good swim."

Was the problem prior to Omaha mental?

"I don't know if it was a mental thing," answered Koehler. "I can't even tell you what it was.

"I remember sitting on the block, and I lost myself," he said of his latest race. "I was thinking, 'I'm either going to do it now or never. Nobody expects me to do anything. I need to let go and need to believe I can do this.' "

One great swim had suddenly erased four years of chasing, and never catching, Hoosiers teammate Sergi Sensko.

"I really didn't struggle through my college career, because I dropped time," said JKK. "But it really wasn't as spectacular as in my high school career.

"The past four years have been very, very frustrating, not seeing a huge improvement like I did in high school.

"There wasn't ever any burnout," he added. "I never thought to quit. Even now when I'm getting close to the end of my career, I don't want to quit."

Koehler will get the honor of swimming on the first and last day of the trials. He qualified 28th fastest in the 400 freestyle and will swim that race Sunday, June 29. His 1,500 prelims are Saturday, July 5 and the finals are Sunday, July 6. The 400 time was a nice bonus for JKK.

"I've always been pretty versatile," said Koehler. "But I know I need to focus on the things I can do best (the 1,500)."

Koehler is hoping he has turned the corner.

"I don't think I've had this much confidence going into any race as I do going into the trials," he said. "I am one of the best in the country again, and nobody can tell me otherwise."

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0364 or krowe@coxohio.com.

»Saturday: Springfield Family YMCA swimmer Margo Geer