James Wike knows what this means.

All swimmers do.

The chance to represent your country and swim in the Olympics is what anyone who’s ever swam competitively lays awake at night thinking about.

“I think every swimmer dreams of it,” said Wike, a 2007 graduate of Auburn, who swam on that year’s NCAA Championship team. “I think every athlete dreams of it, really.

It’s something ... in swimming especially, the Olympics are the biggest thing.”

Naturally.

“Football you got the Super Bowl,” Wike continued. “Baseball you got the World Series. The NBA Finals. The Stanley Cup. But in swimming, the Olympics are the pinnacle — they’re as high as it gets.

“It’s always preached on us as little kids to aim for the Olympics. That’s the highest level you can achieve.”

And beginning Sunday, 44 current, former and future Auburn swimmers will compete for that chance as the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials begin at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. The top two in each event will make the Olympic team, while the top four in the 100 free and 200 free will qualify as to fill out the relay teams.

Wike is one of 15 former Tigers who will suit it up, while there are 26 current AU swimmers who will also be in Omaha vying for a chance to represent the United States when the Olympics kick off in August in Beijing.

Leading the list of current swimmers is Auburn junior Ava Ohlgren. The two-time NCAA champ and 13-time All-American will compete in a team-high six events (400 IM,200 free, 200 IM, 200 butterfly, 100 free and 50 free). Ohlgren is also the highest-ranked Auburn swimmer still competing collegiately. The former U.S. National and Junior Team member is the fifth seed in the 200 butterfly, sixth seed in the 400 IM and seventh seed in the 200 IM.

“I’m definitely excited about having the opportunity to try qualify for (the Olympics),” Ohlgren said. “I’ve represented my country twice before and it’s just an amazing feeling to be able to do that and think that ‘Wow, I’m able to represent everyone back at home.’ And I want to do them proud.

“It’s a cool feeling. I can’t really describe it.”

Out of the 15 former Auburn swimmers, 2004 Olympian Margaret Hoelzer leads the list as the No. 1 seed in the 200 backstroke. Mark Gangloff, who was also on the U.S. team in the 2004 Olympics, is the No. 2 seed in the 100 breaststroke, while Eric Shanteau is the second seed in the 200 breast. Each one of those three is expected to make the team for this summer’s Olympics.

There are also three Auburn signees who will compete this week at the Olympic Trials — Kelsey Winters will compete in four events, Max Murphy will swim in two and Karl Krug will swim in one.

According to Wike, who will swim in four events this week, it’s no shock for him to see so many of his Auburn teammates at the Trials.

“Auburn’s the highest-caliber program in the country, I think,” he said of a tradition that has brought 12 NCAA titles to the Plains. “Swimming at the highest level of NCAAs and competing to win that meet really sets you up for competing at the Olympic Trials, because I’m not just going there to swim, I’m going there to win.

“That’s how it is at NCAAs. We don’t go there just to get best times. We go there to score. We go to win our events and win as a team. It gets that winning mindset in your head when you have a competitive collegiate team behind you and collegiate experience behind you.”

And this next week, they all will be chasing the same dream.

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