Before the Olympics get underway in Beijing next week, the Double-A Zone is turning its attention to American Olympians who have a connection to intercollegiate athletics.

For this Campus Connection, we talked with Brad Vering, a wrestler who will be appearing in his second straight Olympics. The 30-year-old Vering was a 2000 national champion and a three-time all-American during his undergraduate days at Nebraska, as well as a first-team National Wrestling Coaches Association all-academic selection. Recently, he has been a volunteer assistant coach at American, where he helped coach AU wrestler Josh Glenn to a 2007 Division I championship. Vering, who was named the 2007 United States Olympic Committee wrestler of the year, is considered to be a strong medal contender at these Olympic games.

In our conversation, Vering discussed what it means to go back for his second Olympics, his relationship with AU wrestling coach Mark Cody, training with Glenn, and his expectations in Beijing.

Get connected with Brad Vering.

An excerpt follows:

Q: What does it mean to be going back for your second go-around (at the Olympics)?

A: It's always great to represent your country, especially in the Olympic games. After being there once before, it was just an amazing feeling to be chosen and to qualify to get to represent your country.

Q: What are your plans after these Olympic games? I assume you'd like to continue with a career in coaching?

A: Yeah, I really enjoy coaching at the college level. I like working with the kids who are dedicated...college athletes are so fun, they're driven, they get after it, they're goal oriented, they're hard-working and I really like working with that type of athlete. I'm looking at hopefully coaching here in the future, but I'm not making up any decisions yet....