A trimmed-down Julian Wruck has taken his place in a beefed-up Australian track and field team for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The squad numbers 103 - the biggest Australian athletics squad to contest a major off-shore championships.
The headline acts such as world and Olympic 100m hurdles champion Sally Pearson and javelin world silver medallist Kim Mickle locked in their spots earlier this year.
They were joined on Thursday by the likes of Olympic 400m finalist Steve Solomon and Wruck, both of whom are in the US collegiate system.
Wruck had a break-out season in 2013, finishing fourth on the world rankings, while being somewhat disappointed with an 11th place at the world titles in Moscow.
That helped prompt a decision to lose weight and alter his technique, which to date has been met with mixed results.
"You've got to make changes and play around with variables to see if there's any improvements to be had," Wruck said on Thursday.
"In retrospect it was a bit of a mistake, at least with the timing.
"I probably should have tried to do last season what I did this season.
"But I'm not particularly motivated by consistency over an entire collegiate career.
"Winning every competition would obviously be great but that's not my goal; my goal is finding ways of improving and finding ways of throwing even further.
"To do that I think you've got to take some risks here and there."
After defending his NCAA title later this month, Wruck will shift his focus to the Commonwealth Games, where the toughest competition is likely to come from countryman and defending champion Benn Harradine and Indian Vikas Gowda.
"So far I haven't competed particularly well in the major competitions I've been in but I'm looking to turn that around and these Commonwealth Games are definitely a good opportunity to do so," said the 22-year-old, who is about to complete a philosophy degree at UCLA.
"Honestly I would like to win it. That might be a bit out of place given my form but if I throw well I think I have a very good shot at winning it."
Australia finished a close second behind Kenya on the track and field medals table at the 2010 Delhi Games but will confront much tougher opposition this time around, with the likes of England and Jamaica to send vastly stronger teams.
The Australian squad contains three sets of siblings - pole vaulting sisters Vicky and Liz Parnov, vaulters Alana and Matt Boyd and throwing brothers Huw and Hamish Peacock, who will contest the hammer and javelin respectively.
Team captain Pearson has a busy program, including the 100m flat and hurdles and the 4x100m relay.
But even though the squad tops triple figures, Australia will be without a single competitor in the blue-riband men's 100m.
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