photo by: Mike Yoder

Lawrence native Emma Reaney wears her bronze medal on the podium after placing 3rd in the 50M breaststroke Friday, July 10, at the World University Games in Gwangju.

Heading into the U.S. Olympic Trials for the third time, Emma Reaney knows what to expect out of the biggest meet of her swimming career.

Only this time, the Lawrence High graduate has different expectations for herself.

Reaney is one of three Lawrence natives — along with Courtney Caldwell and Michael Andrew — competing at the U.S. Olympic Trials at CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb., which begins at 10 a.m. today. The event finals will be shown on NBC at 7 p.m. each day.

“What’s different about this time is that I know I have shot to make the team,” Reaney said. “It’s been something that I’ve been working toward for the past two or three years and it’s always been so far away. … It still hasn’t really sunk in that it’s here.”

Typically, the top two finishers in each event will make the Olympic team along with the top six swimmers in the 100 and 200 freestyles.

During the 2012 trials, Reaney made it to the semifinals (top 16) in the 200-meter individual medley before placing 13th.

Reaney, who swam for a season at LHS, will be seeded eighth in the 100 breaststroke and 14th in the 200 breaststroke.

“As of right now, I’m not nervous yet,” Reaney said. “I have this weird sense of calm about it all. I’d like to get kind of nervous because I think I swim better when I’m nervous and excited. But I think that’s also a good sign that I’m not freaking out yet.”

After graduating from Notre Dame, where she won a NCAA title in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2014, Reaney said she was in a “really weird place with the sport” after struggling to reach her top times.

Reaney, 23, trained for a few months with the pro team SwimMac in North Carolina before opting to go back to Notre Dame and work with her former teammates.

“I think I’m in a really good spot right now where you just have to trust the process,” Reaney said. “I know that I’ve put in the work that I need to put in to be successful. I just have to let it ride from here on out.”

Former Free State High standout Caldwell, a sophomore-to-be at North Carolina State, qualified in three events and is seeded 26th in the 100 backstroke.

“It’s really exciting because four years ago, I almost made it. I missed it by 0.09 (seconds),” Caldwell said. “When I made my first cut, right after ACC (championships), it was super, super exciting. I’m just excited to finally get a chance to swim at it.”

Caldwell was one of the top prep swimmers in state history, winning 13 state titles with four state-meet records. She led the Firebirds to a Class 6A state championship in 2015.

In her lone season with the Wolfpack, Caldwell helped set a school record in the 400 medley relay, taking fifth in the NCAA championships. She traveled to Omaha with more than 25 of her college teammates.

“Being realistic with myself, it’s not really possible for me to make the Olympics,” Caldwell said. “My best shot at making finals is the 100 back. That would be pretty cool just because I would get to make a name for myself. That’s my main goal going into it.”

Andrew will compete in his first Olympic trials, swimming in five events.

Andrew, who is home schooled, is considered one of the top up-and-coming swimmers in the country with many national age-group records. He turned professional when he was 14, becoming the youngest pro in U.S. swimming history.

“I believe whole-heartedly that I have what it takes to make the Olympic team and I believe that I will make the team,” Andrew wrote on SwimOutlet.com. “The reason I say that is, if you don’t mentally believe in yourself, and the gift God has given you, there would be no point in going to race for a spot.”

In his blog post, Andrew said his best chance to make the Olympic team is in the 100 breaststroke, where the 17-year-old is seeded 11th. He is seeded 12th in the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly, and 14th in the 50 freestyle.