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Catholic Central graduate and Indiana University standout John Kevin Koehler wants to make the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team as badly as any of the thousands of competitors at this week's Olympics Team Trials in Omaha, Neb.

However, he knows he also has to be realistic.

"If I get into the top eight, I'll be excited," said Koehler, who surprised all onlookers at the 2004 Olympic Trials by coming out of nowhere to make the finals and finish eighth.

"That's no small task to make the finals of the U.S. Swimming Trials, and to be able to repeat will be extremely hard," he continued. "The competition will be so tough. You'll have to break world records just to make it."

Koehler will approach the preliminaries today, July 5, in his specialty event, the 1,500-meter freestyle, with intense desire, but guarded optimism. Despite the fact he has the 11th-best time coming into the trials (a personal-best 15:22.67), he's taking a wait-and-see approach to the biggest race of his career.

"I'm not putting any expectation on myself," he said. "If I go 15 minutes or under and am fifth, I'll be happy.

"Anything can happen," he said. "I'm focused and ready to go. I just want to get out there and do this.

"If it ends up I don't do well, I'll be disappointed, but it's not the end of the world. But if I make it, it'll be the highlight of my career."

Koehler will be soaring into the prelims thanks to an impressive performance in the 400 freestyle Sunday, finishing 16th with a personal best time of 3:54.58. And although he was focusing his big shot on 2008, if he continues to post personal-best times, 2012 may still be a possibility.

"I told my dad, if I hung up the towel now, I would regret it," he said. "If I never get any faster, then I never get faster.

"Maybe I've uttered the words, 'I just want to be done,' a couple of times. But I love swimming, and you still have to come back and finish it well."

So for Koehler, who has a major in computer science and minor in criminal justice, a career in computer forensics, and an internship with the FBI, may have to wait. For now, that's just Plan B.

"That helps take some of that stress off swimming, knowing there's something else I can do," he said.

For sure, he won't be thinking FBI today. He's thinking "have fun" on American swimming's biggest stage.

"If I leave everything in the pool, I will not be disappointed," he said.

U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials

The remaining preliminaries schedule for local swimmers (if they make the top eight today, they'll swim in the finals Sunday):

Today: John Kevin Koehler (11th, 15:22.67) and Brent Hitchcock (59th, 15:48.87) in the 1,500 freestyle; Margo Geer in the 50 freestyle (91st, 26.38).

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