Look for Penn State senior swimmer Nikki Collins at 6 a.m., and you'll find her furiously swimming laps, gliding like a fish from one end of the pool to the other.

Long before the majority of the campus is ready to start its day, the All-American is busy training at McCoy Natatorium, practicing her kicking and pulling, striving to get better. Her routine consists of warm-up laps and speed drills, exercises that help get a swimmer's body and mind ready for the long day ahead.

After her morning workout, Collins heads off to her daily classes. The human development and family studies major and 2005 Academic All-Big Ten member is hard at work, excelling not only in the water, but out as well.

Finished with classes and wanting badly to squeeze in a quick nap, Collins knows there isn't any time to rest. She heads back to the Nat, where afternoon practice keeps her and her team sharp for the next meet.

Each afternoon is different, yet all feature a series of rigorous drills. Practice starts with a 1200-meter warm-up, then it's on to the main set. On Mondays and Thursdays, threshold drills are the routine of choice, which involves constant swimming at different intervals. Tuesdays and Fridays feature active rest drills, which consist of different length races at different speeds. By the end of the day, Collins is ready to rest, having swum close to 5000 meters.

Unfortunately for Collins, her schedule doesn't allow for much free time, but she will take what she can.

"During my spare time I enjoy watching movies," she said. "I also like listening to music, or taking a nice long nap, if I have time for one."

After a 14-hour day, her schoolwork still awaits her, as it has for the past four years. And although she has gone through all of the rigors of collegiate swimming, Collins' journey is not over yet.

Later this week, the Penn State women's team will take part in the Big Ten Championships in Minneapolis, Minn., the same competition in which Collins achieved three top-five finishes, and helped her team capture the 2005 Big Ten title. Collins said she lives for competition, and she still loves glancing up at the scoreboard after a race.

"It's the greatest feeling in the world, seeing your time," she said. "I remember my sophomore year we had a meet against UVA and Auburn. I was swimming the 1000-yard freestyle and went my best time. I seriously thought the clock was broken, I'm thinking there's no way I went that fast at this point of the season."

The elation she gets from seeing her time is one Collins has been used to -- after all, she's been swimming competitively for more than 10 years.

Collins began her swimming career at a young age. Growing up in Carmel, Indiana, she remembers being thrust into the sport before she could even walk.

"My parents threw me in the pool and said 'just swim' -- just kidding," she joked.

Whether or not her parents thought that she would enjoy being "tossed" into the water, it's hard to believe they could've imagined the interest their daughter would have with the sport.

"I started competitive swimming when I was six years old. I started off with just swimming in the spring and summer for the local YMCA," Collins said. "And then, when I was around eight, my coach said that I had great potential, so I moved teams to a local swim club that swam year around."

Over the years Collins became a top swimmer. She continued swimming through high school, where she attended Carmel High. A 2003 graduate, Collins had offers from some schools, but wasn't sure where she wanted to continue swimming. That is, until Penn State Head Coach Bill Dorenkott paid her a visit.

"I remember the day Bill came to my house before I signed," she said. "It was the last night before the signing period ended, and Bill said exactly what I was looking for in a school and a swim program. I really don't remember what he said, I just had that gut feeling that this was the school for me."

Looking back, it was clear that Collins made a good choice. Her first three seasons included a second All-Big Ten selection in 2005, as well as a sixth-place finish at the 2006 NCAA Championships in the 1650-meter freestyle. Collins' name will be remembered in the Penn State record books, as she holds No. 1 times in both the 1000 and 1650-meter freestyle events.

Collins admits that even with all of the accolades, she still gets nervous before competitions, but always makes sure that she follows her pre-game ritual to ensure her success.

"Since the summer before my junior year, I started a pre-meet ritual. For lunch I have to have some kind of Italian sandwich, usually a Subway Italian BMT. Then an hour and a half before I swim, I will drink some type of raspberry smoothie."

A pre-game ritual is one way to help calm nerves and focus an athlete. For Collins, her time at Penn State has helped her develop another approach: hard work, dedication and an overwhelming passion for the sport.

Those qualities instilled in her can carry her not only through the rest of her swimming career, but life after Penn State as well.

But one thing is for sure, each morning at 6, Collins will be back in the Nat, giving it everything she has.