Tom Molzahn: Leading UW to the Next Level
September 27, 2006 | Men's Swimming & Diving
This year's Wisconsin men's swimming and diving team is a young squad that features 19 freshmen and sophomores. Despite their youth, however, they have a trusted leader in senior captain Tom Molzahn.
Molzahn, a native of Barrington, Ill., has had a stellar Badger career that includes six top-five finishes in Big Ten championships. In spite of three solid years with the program, he still has many more goals for himself.
'One goal would be to get myself and the relays to the NCAAs,' said Molzahn. 'We missed out on it last year, we didn't have a team there and I think that's the main thing. Also, just every year I have improved my times. The main thing is to just continue improving.'
The senior is excited about this year's team, but knows that he is the veteran leader and the pressure is on him to take this team to the next level.
'As a senior and as a captain of this team, the main focus is for me to help these guys do the best they can,' said Molzahn. 'When you are the captain of a team, you are not judged by your individual (performance) but you are more judged by the team you are leading, how they do, so that's my main focus.'
One of the bright points for this year's team is the alliance between them all. Molzahn doesn't seem too worried about the fact that he is the only senior on the team, especially considering there were only two upperclassmen on last year's team.
'I don't think there really is any pressure (being the lone senior). Last year there was only one junior and one senior and I learned a lot from that experience,' said Molzahn. 'I think all the guys on the team here support me, and support any ideas I have. I don't really need anybody in my class, I got all those guys with me.'
When asked how he was going to help guide this young group of swimmers, Molzahn said he is going to try and keep an open forum. He knows that freshmen have a lot of questions and he wants to be there to help lead.
'I just want to make sure that though I am a senior, that I don't consider myself any more important than (the freshmen) are to this team.'
It is tough not to continually talk about your role as a senior without getting a bit sad that your time in Madison is about to come to a close. Molzahn has had so many great experiences that he can't name his favorite.
'I am going to miss a lot about Madison though,' said Molzahn. 'I am gonna miss football game days, State Street, the pool itself and just hanging out with all these guys. I'll graduate this year and I'll be going to a business world and everything else and I'll never have the team unity and the camaraderie that I had with any of the guys on this team.
'I don't think I'll ever match that with anything I do. '
