BTN.com staff, July 15, 2012

In preparation for the upcoming London Olympics, BTN.com asked a handful of Big Ten names to contribute first-person accounts of their Olympic experience as they compete in their events this summer. We will be posting their updates and other Olympic news in our Big Ten Olympic section.

Come meet our contributors: U.S. swimmers Peter Vanderkaay , Davis Tarwater, Matt Grevers and Connor Jaeger are teaming up to write a U.S. swim team journal. Vanderjkaay and Tarwater are Michigan grads while Jaeger still attends. Grevers is a Northwestern product. So far Vanderkaay and Tarwater have called each other out on their supposed musical choices. Read the latest here.

Also among our contributors: former Illinois soccer player Emily Zurrer is competing for Canada, former Iowa standout Diane Nukuri Johnson runs again for Burundi, and Penn State gymnast Felix Aronovich , and Illinois discus thrower Gia Lewis-Smallwood throws for the U.S..

The Olympics open July 27 and run through Aug. 12. Below is a photo gallery of a few Big Ten names who have qualified to represent the U.S. in these Olympics. We'll round up a complete official list of Big Ten names competing for all nations closer to July 27.

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