60 // VARSITY March 27, 2014
Caldwell making waves in
first season at Wisconsin
Florida transfer enjoying record-breaking year
A
fter earning All-Amer-
ica and All-SEC honors
as a freshman swim-
mer, one may think strong
self-assurance and content-
ment would naturally follow
for Nick Caldwell. With these
accolades under his belt, how-
ever, the former Florida Gator
was sidelined with an injury
for the entirety of the 2012-13
season. Enter Wisconsin and
the opportunity to start fresh
with a new program.
"Nick is a perfect fit for our
program," UW head coach
Whitney Hite said. "He's just a
joy to coach. He wants to work
hard and he enjoys working
hard."
Caldwell's first season with
the Badgers can be described
as no less than exceptional.
Need evidence? Look no fur-
ther than the junior's 1650-yard free-
style time of 15:02.16, which surpassed
a school record set nearly two decades
ago, or his school record-setting time in
the 200-yard freestyle (1:34.10).
Along with those records, the Saraso-
ta, Fla., native also led his team with sea-
son-best times in the 500 and 1000 free.
"When Nick came in, his psyche was a
little bit down," Hite added. "But to see
him having fun again and racing fast
and doing best times for the first time
in three years, knowing how hard he's
worked in three years to be faster than
he's been, that's a win for us already."
The pool is not the only place in which
Caldwell exerts full effort. Though clear-
ly focused on swimming, the Dean's List
honoree is equally dedicated to academ-
ics, which was a major factor in his deci-
sion to attend Wisconsin.
"He is absolutely one of the hardest
workers," Hite said. "You couldn't ask for
more out of a kid. He got a 4.0 his first
semester here, which isn't easy. He's on
our leadership council. He enjoys the
challenge of school being hard."
With three days left of NCAA competi-
tion, Hite believes Caldwell can only get
better.
"I'm really excited for him to again be-
lieve in himself and allow himself to be
great," Hite said. "He leads by example,
and we're thrilled to have him."
SCHEDULE
NCAA MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIPS
Thursday Prelims 11 a.m.
Finals 7 p.m.
Friday Prelims 11 a.m.
Finals 7 p.m.
Saturday Finals 11 a.m.
Finals 7 p.m.
INSIDE
SWIMMING & DIVING
BY BRYANA KORTENDICK @BADGERSWIMDIVE
