BALTIMORE — June 2012 can’t get here soon enough as far as Stephanie O’Toole is concerned.

The Butler County native has qualified for three women’s swimming events at the 2012 Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb. — the 200-yard breaststroke, the 200 and 400 individual medley.

If she places in the top two in any of those events, she will earn a spot at the 2012 Summer Olympics, which will be held in London.

O’Toole is currently being home-schooled while training with the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. She and her mother, Aleida, are living in Baltimore.

“My best event is the 200 breaststroke,” said O’Toole, 16. “If I don’t get to the Olympics, then so be it, but I’m not going to the trials just so I can say I swam there. I want to make my mark.”

O’Toole attended Center Township Elementary through the sixth grade. She began swimming at age 5 and was involved with SEBCO’s club team for a time.

“I started swimming for the Fox Chapel Swimming Club,” she said. “We got tired of that drive every day, so we moved to Fox Chapel before I started seventh grade.

“I really enjoyed swimming growing up and knew that I could take it to another level,” she said.

By the summer of her freshman year, O’Toole was ready for another move, this time to Baltimore to train with the same club that Michael Phelps, who has 14 Olympic gold medals to his credit, trains with.

“I knew it was time to step up,” O’Toole said. “I wanted to push myself. My experience here has been awesome. I have everything here that I need to become the best swimmer I can be.

“Coach (Bob) Bowman tells me what I need to do to improve,” she added.

Aside from her talent, O’Toole is also very dedicated. A normal weekday includes four hours in the pool, plus an hour to 90 minutes of exercising out of the water; all of this on top of keeping up with her schoolwork.

“There are times I get tired of all the practicing, but I know that it will all be worth it in the end.”

Aside from workouts in and out of the water, O’Toole swims in high-level meets all over the country.

Last month she competed at the Eric Namesnik Michigan Grand Prix in Ann Arbor. The event included swimmers from 30 nations. O’Toole placed fifth in the 200 breaststroke at 2:35.35.

This weekend, she is competing at the Charlotte Ultra Swim in North Carolina.

So much of O’Toole’s daily routine is geared toward making the U.S. Olympic Swim Team.

“I dream about medaling at the Olympics all the time,” she said. “I can’t even imagine what that would feel like.”

Bowman could not be reached for comment.