FAIRFAX, Va. – George Mason swimmer Sydney Fisher will step on the biggest stage when she competes in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials at the Century Link Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

The trials began Sunday, but for Fisher the wait to get into the pool will be a long one.  The women's 50-meter freestyle takes center stage on Saturday at 11 a.m. (EST) on the second-to-last day of competition. The preliminaries can be watched live on NBCOlympics.com or the NBC Sports app.

“Going out later isn't a bad thing because once I get there we'll still get to watch a lot of different events, get to see the Olympians and see the finals,” Fisher said of swimming later in the trials.  “Once I get there, I'll get to see the top seeds and the top qualifiers and I'll get to be on the deck with them.”

Fisher, a senior-to-be from Richmond, Va., qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials three months ago.  Swimmers had to meet a time standard to qualify and she is one of 1,900 who have their sights set on Rio in August.

Some are already household names.  Missy Franklin, Katie Ledecky, Ryan Lochte and Baltimore native Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history with a total of 22 medals, 18 of them gold.

“There are going to be some big names there that I've seen on television,” said Fisher.  “You see them at the Olympics and I get to be on the pool deck with them.”

Fisher's trip to the trials is well deserved.  This past year for the Patriots she finished first 23 times, including nine times in the 50-yard freestyle.  She is the two-time defending Atlantic 10 Conference champion in the 50-yard freestyle. 

It will be a little different at the trials because the competition is in a 50-meter pool; collegiate teams swim in a 25-yard pool. Fisher hasn't competed in a long-course meet in seven years, but not having to make a turn could be to her advantage.

“I like it because it tests your swimming capabilities rather than underwater capabilities,” Fisher said of the long course.  “I don't need a turn.  I think I'll do better with just the straightaway, you get two breathes and can't turn and look and see your competitors.  So you have to figure out where you are going to breathe so you can have a strong finish.”

There's also no getting around the fact that there is pressure that goes with competing in the Olympic Trials and while Fisher will be on her own in the pool, she won't be alone.

Peter Ward, who enters his 17th year at Mason this season, represented Canada and placed seventh in the 200-meter butterfly at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He also won a silver medal at the 1987 Pan American Games and held the Canadian national record in the 200-meter butterfly from 1981-84.

Not many swimmers at the collegiate level have an Olympian as their head coach.

“I think that's where I can help Sydney the most, keeping calm and there are some conversations that we are going to have that are going to be helpful to her and I can draw from my experiences for that more when we actually get out to Omaha,” Ward said of dealing with the pressure of the trials.  “It's an amazing event and what you see on television is only the tip of the iceberg with everything that's going on behind the scenes.”

The coach and the athlete are linked no matter what the sport, but in the pool where split seconds are the difference, the bond may be even greater.  Ward is aware of that.

“A lot of that came from my coach at the time and being able to keep me calm and he had been there before and coached Olympic medalists and he was able to keep me relaxed and focused,” Ward said.

It was 32 years ago that Ward was in a similar situation on the biggest stage in swimming.

“I swam late in the Olympic Games like Sydney will be here in the last morning of preliminaries on day seven.  We would do all of our work in the morning and it was just my coach and me in this 14,000-seat stadium who were the only two in the pool,” Ward recalled.  “That was the coolest thing of the whole games, just the two of us in that pool.”

Fisher will lean on her head coach for advice.

“He's been through this and knows what to expect in these meets and I don't know anyone who has an Olympian as a coach,” said Fisher.  “Getting to talk to him about what to do when I am there and how to continue getting ready for the meet, it's amazing to get an opportunity like that.”

Ward has coached five Mason swimmers that have competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials, but Fisher will be the first he's coached who will be coming back for another year with the Patriots.

“It's exciting to have a group of the best athletes in the world that come together every four years in the United States and it's a significant event,” Ward added in a confident voice.  “To be able to take one of our swimmers there is a huge honor and accomplishment.”

Assistant swimming and diving coach Damian Rodino has also been working with Fisher to prepare for the 50-meter freestyle long-course.

Fisher mentioned she wasn't able to see the swimming portion of the 2012 Olympics because she was at camp and instead had to settle for watching the highlights.  Now she has the chance to make a highlight of her own.

“You can go with all the names that are going to be there and all the people who have qualified and what's so amazing is that there are swimmers there that have the same caliber,” Fisher said.  “I don't want to be too star struck when I do see them.”

Fisher will have family in attendance and those who can't make the trip will be having a viewing party.  To her teammates and George Mason University, she's golden no matter the outcome.

“Everybody has been extremely supportive and excited and I couldn't ask for anything more,” Fisher added when speaking about the attention she has gotten.  “This experience is going to be awesome and I can't wait to tell everybody about it afterwards.”

The 2016 Rio Olympic Games will be held from Aug. 5-21, with the opening ceremony on Aug. 5.

Fisher, who plans on swimming her senior season at Mason, knows that competing at the Olympic Trials will bring with it a combination of excitement, emotions and without a doubt some nervous moments. She plans on keeping the same routine and is more than ready to take on the challenge that comes along with being one of the few who have this opportunity.

“I am going to be swimming in the same pool as Olympians,” she said, smiling, “and my goal is to give it everything I have, hope for a best time and just enjoy the whole experience.”