Growing up, Michael Chadwick’s role models were America’s top swimmers. Now, at 6-foot-6 and 20 years old, he joins them as their teammate.

Chadwick, a junior, was one of 17 American males named to the Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool roster Oct. 21. Duel in the Pool is a meet between a select number of Team USA swimmers and a group of European All-Stars, similar to golf’s Ryder Cup. It will take place Dec. 11 and 12 in Indianapolis.

Chadwick will swim with a number of Olympic gold medalists, including Nathan Adrian and Matt Grevers. The team also features Ryan Lochte, the 11-time Olympic medalist and Chadwick’s club teammate with SwimMAC Carolina.

Aside from Lochte and Tyler Clary, this is Chadwick’s first team encounter with the swimmers.

“I’ve met them a little bit here and there, but I’ve never actually met them from a teammate perspective, so that’s going to be really cool,” he said.

The meet lineup has not been announced, but Chadwick will probably swim the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter freestyle, the events in which he made the national team. He also will probably get the chance to compete on a relay.

Missouri coach Greg Rhodenbaugh feels that Chadwick has earned his spot with the top swimmers in the nation.

“He belongs on a relay,” Rhodenbaugh said. “He’s in that group of guys now.”

Chadwick earned his spot on the U.S. National Team over the summer while training with SwimMAC Carolina. Chadwick posted a time of 48.87 in the 100-meter freestyle, the third-fastest time of the season by an American.

Before deciding whether to compete at the meet, Chadwick talked with Rhodenbaugh and SwimMAC Carolina coach David Marsh. The timing of the meet fit in well with Chadwick’s schedule: It doesn’t conflict with any Mizzou meets or with his final exams.

“After talking with my coaches, I was a lot more excited just because it fit in perfectly,” Chadwick said. “It’s going to be a really good opportunity to get with the guys and race.”

Chadwick is the only college swimmer on the men’s team and is looking forward to learning from his older teammates.

“I think I’m going to be looked at as a younger swimmer on the team, so that’s going to be cool to have the leadership … that the guys will hopefully give me,” he said.

As excited as he is for Duel in the Pool, Chadwick sees the meet as part of a larger process. With the 2016 Olympic Games on the horizon, Chadwick has his eyes set on competing on swimming’s biggest stage next summer.

Olympic Trials will take place in Omaha, Nebraska, from June 26 to July 3. Chadwick feels that swimming at Duel in the Pool, which is expected to draw a large crowd, will serve as good experience going into the summer.

Rhodenbaugh agreed that swimming at the meet will help Chadwick’s mindset going into Olympic Trials. To earn a spot on the Olympic 400-meter freestyle relay, Chadwick would need a top-six finish in the 100-meter freestyle in Omaha.

“I think it will help his confidence a ton, make him feel like he belongs on the relay when he goes to Trials,” Rhodenbaugh said.

Two years ago, in his freshman year, Chadwick did not qualify for the NCAA championships in an individual event. He did not even have an Olympic Trial qualifying time until this past summer.

Now, he is making an impact on a national level.

“We certainly knew that he would get a lot better,” Rhodenbaugh said. “Did we know he was going to get this much better this quickly? That’s always a roll of the dice.”

Rhodenbaugh said watching swimmers like Chadwick will help other swimmers realize they can also make large strides.

“The nice thing is that now that we have people on the team that are doing that, the people coming in develop more quickly,” he said.

Chadwick is looking at the December meet as a growing experience. Looking ahead, he feels that it will help him as he prepares for the Olympic season.

“This is just a rehearsal,” he said. “And it’s going to be a really good one.”