David Adams could have chosen something easier than the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

He was a middle-distance runner, finding success in the mile, the 5,000 and most races in between, but he got hooked on the steeplechase in college and now is looking to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team that heads to London in late July.

The York native and former Husker has the sixth-best time in the country in the race that is pretty much a two-mile run with 35 barriers to clear, including seven that have water behind them.

“I have a dream and I have a chance to reach that dream and even take a step further,” Adams said recently. “I’m a Nebraska kid with a chance to make the Olympics. It’s not just something for other kids from other states. I can do this.

“I think I’ve got a better chance of making the U.S. team in the steeplechase and that’s why I’ve been training for the U.S. Trials in Eugene, Ore., for almost a year,” said Adams, a former Big 12 champion and NU school record-holder in the indoor 3,000 and 5,000.

Of course, that opportunity comes with plenty of challenges.