Front & Center: ESPN’s Olympic rowing hopeful Meghan O’Leary

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Meghan O’Leary, an ESPN programming coordinator who works in our college sports production group, continues to pursue her dream of being an Olympic athlete.

As documented with her posts for Front Row and her blog for espnW, O’Leary is pursuing a spot on the U.S. National Women’s Rowing Team — with an eye toward qualifying for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

In the Front & Center Podcast, O’Leary updates us on her quest — one she is pursuing now as a part-time ESPN employee. The former University of Virginia volleyball and softball star describes her hectic daily regimen as well as what lies ahead in the qualifying process.

Last fall, she trained at the National Training Center in Princeton, N.J. Three months later, she earned an invite to be one of 23 athletes selected for winter training in suburban San Diego, Calif.

That’s quite an accomplishment for someone who first put her toe in the rowing waters in December 2010 as a means of staying in shape during the cold New England winters.

You can follow O’Leary’s adventures on her blog by clicking here.