Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 9 No. 2 | October 2016

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Q: Head coach Ned Skinner has commended you on not only
being a tremendous athlete, but also a tremendous student as
an engineering major. How were you able to balance the two?
RO: “I just really have to stay dedicated to academics. Swimming is a
huge part of my college life, but also, I mean, engineering is not easy. It
takes up a ton of time. So I just really have to use my time management
skills to get everything done in the short amount of time that I have.”
Q: Have you always been a good student, or did you have to
become one considering the program you’re enrolled in?
RO: “I think I’ve always been a good student, but the experience
of college swimming and being an engineering major has made me
an even better student. I just had to develop skills that would get me
through all of the classes and the training.”
Q: Knowing all that you’ve been through in terms of the
training and being a student-athlete, what was it like being
named to the USA Swimming National Team last month?
RO: “It felt great. It felt rewarding to accomplish that goal that I had
set at the beginning of the summer, and I thought it was a reasonable
goal. It was rewarding to have all of the hard work pay off. It was
definitely humbling to see that list, where there’s a countless number
of Olympians like Michael Phelps and others not just from this past
year. It was really humbling to be on the same list as them.”
Q: What’s your timeframe like with the National Team? Do
you know where they’ll be sending you first?
RO: “I haven’t really heard much yet. You get the invite to be on the
team, and then they can select you to different championship meets.”
Q: So the main focus right now is to finish your next-to-last
year academically and your final year of eligibility?
RO: “Definitely. My last year in college swimming is definitely the
focus right now. I just want to have a great senior season and build off
of last season and accomplish the goals that I’ve had for a long time.
Last year, I barely missed the top eight in the 400 IM at NCAAs. That’s
something that I definitely want to accomplish this year. I think I’m off
to a great start. The scenario is also the same in the 200 backstroke. I
want to be in the top eight at NCAAs.”
Q: You improved your time as the rounds went on at Olympic
Trials, and you kept gaining momentum. Do you feel like you
still have that same momentum, and what have you done to
sustain it?
RO: “I think, as far as swimming goes, this summer was probably the
best I’ve had. It’s definitely a confidence boost going into the season,
where the success I’ve had this summer gives me confidence going into
the season. I think other summers have been solid, and I’ve always
gone into the season with a good mindset, but this year seems a little a
different because I’ve had one of the best summers I’ve ever had.”
Q: What’s your class schedule like this semester?
RO: “I’m taking mechanical design, material science in engineering,
fluid mechanics and thermos dynamics.”
Q: Which one is your favorite?
RO: “It’s hard to pick one.”
Q: Which Hokie are you most excited to see compete
this season?
RO: “Obviously, I love racing the guys in my class, like Brandon
Fiala and Zach Switzer. They’re always fun to race, and they really push
you. As far as underclassmen go, Sean Workman is a backstroker, a
rising sophomore who had a great freshman year, and I think, as he
continues to improve, he’ll challenge me a lot in the backstroke events,
so that’ll be fun to race him.”
GETTING TO KNOW…
ROBERT OWEN
Robert Owen, a senior on the Tech
men’s swimming and diving team,
took the time to answer several
questions about the Hokies’ squad
and about his future
ROBERT
OWEN