BY MIKE WATKINS//Special Correspondent

Kate Dwelley is no stranger to putting in a hard day’s work.

Having grown up helping on her family’s fruit and vegetable farm in California, Dwelley knows what it takes to be successful – whether it’s growing crops, selling green beans and watermelon at the family fruit stand, or putting in many hours of practice in the pool.

“I guess I got my strong work ethic from helping on the farm, but it’s always been a part of me – wanting to work hard to succeed,” said Dwelley, a freshman at Stanford University. “My family has always been early-to-bed, early-to-rise because of the early mornings on the farm, and that has certainly made it easier for me to make the morning swim practices.”

Now that she’s made the transition from high school graduate to college freshman, Dwelley’s focus is on continuing to improve and prepare for another shot at making the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team next summer.

In 2004 as a 15-year-old, Dwelley exceeded her own expectations by finishing eighth in the 200 freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Long Beach, Calif. Considering that just two weeks before Trials she failed to finish among the top 24 at the Janet Evans Invitational, Dwelley knows a lot can happen in a short amount of time.

This summer, she put her training and physical and emotional mettle to the test at World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand. She medaled in both of her events – winning bronze in the 200 freestyle and gold as a member of the 800 freestyle relay team – and left her first senior international meet a little wiser, a little more worldly and definitely faster.

“It was a very good meet,” Dwelley said. “I can’t think of anything I would have done differently. I trained really hard and well prior to the meet, and I felt very prepared. I set a goal to swim under two minutes in the 200 free – which I did – and winning gold in the relay was absolutely exciting and amazing.”

Dwelley got her first taste of life in the water as a 3-year-old who followed older brother, John, now a senior swimmer at Arizona State, to summer swim practice. At her own urging, Dwelley’s mom, Jeanette, let her jump in the water and start taking lessons.

She’s been splashing in the water ever since and can’t imagine doing anything or being anywhere else.

“I absolutely love being in the water; I always have,” Dwelley said. “It’s where I feel most secure – where I feel most myself.”

It’s also one of the places she’s experienced some of her greatest successes – there and in the classroom, where she earned Academic All-America honors in high school.

Next summer in Omaha, Dwelley hopes to find even more success as she swims for her first Olympics – and first trip to China.

She intends to focus on the 100 and 200 freestyle events at Trials, and is anxious thinking about the prospect of once again representing the United States in the pool.

“It would be thrilling to swim at the Olympics, and after getting a taste at WUGs this year, I’m excited about the idea of swimming internationally again,” Dwelley said. “I remember watching the Olympics with a friend as a 7-year-old thinking how cool it would be to swim at the Olympics. It really would be a dream come true for me.”