Feb. 4, 2009

When you think of the demands of being a student-athlete, the things that enter your mind right away are how these young men and women balance the demands of academics and athletics. You hear a lot about time management as a skill you have to learn.

You can add being married to the list of demands for senior swimmer Ginny Omundson of Wilsonville.

"It's difficult to balance being married and being a student-athlete," Omundson said. "When I am at practice I focus on swimming and just being in the moment. When I do homework I focus on homework and when I am with my husband Joe, then I am just with him. That is how I get through it all."

Omundson has been quite successful at it as well, sporting nearly a 4.00 cumulative GPA in nutrition science with a minor in chemistry. She was also named a Pac-10 All-Academic selection second-team during her sophomore year.

"I decided to major in nutrition science with a minor in chemistry because I love learning about the human body, it is really interesting to me," Omundson said.

Her interests have led her to aim at becoming a nurse.

More with Ginny Omundson...

Q. What kind of an honor is it for you to be named team captain?
A. It's a huge honor to be team captain. I love the team and it is fun to be a leader and to support the women. I really love doing it. It is a lot of fun.

Q. What role does the team captain play on this team?
A. I try to lead by example, have a positive attitude and come to every practice and work hard.

Q. With nearly a 4.0 GPA, what are the keys to your success?
A. The keys to being successful academically are going to class and trying to stay awake in class. I study pretty hard. Time management is a big skill I have learned.

Q. What interests you about nursing?
A. Nursing has come along lately. I want to take care of people. I didn't really follow the route to become a nutritionist because I want more interaction with patients.

Q. What is it like competing for Coach Larry Liebowitz?
A. It is great competing for Larry Liebowitz. He is a really great coach and cares about his swimmers. He has a lot of experience coaching.

Q. Has your experience at Oregon State been positive athletically?
A. Yes, my experience at Oregon State as really been a positive one. I am really glad I came here.

Q. Describe your experience on campus for the last four years?
A. The last four years have flew by fast. It seems last year I was a freshman, and it was actually four years ago.

Q. Where do you think you have grown most since your freshman year?
A. I have grown the most academically. I am able to understand concepts and I have learned how to study. I think I have also grown as a leader too.

Q. What are your hobbies out of the pool?
A. I like to read. I also like to hike or go backpacking and camping.

Q. How have you been involved in community service?
A. Community service is really important to me. I am involved in SAAC and I'm the representative for swimming. We do a lot of projects like the fall carnival where the kids get to go trick-or-treating with the student-athletes, which is fun. We also volunteer for the Special Olympics a lot and that is always a ton of fun. The entire team enjoys community service.