[media-credit name=’UW Athletic Communications’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos defined a leader as someone who works hard, has fun and makes history. It’s a simple phrase that many leaders take for granted, but true leaders take to heart. Wisconsin men’s swimming’s senior co-captain, Adam Mania, takes that phrase to heart.

The Hickman, Neb. native has come a long way over the last three years. He has competed in the Olympics and World Championships for his native country, Poland. He has received numerous All-American awards and school records, yet still remains modest.

He carries his heart on his shoulder and puts his teammates first. He is an All-American boy that loves to swim, have fun and make others laugh.

“What I have learned from the Olympics is that you can only excel through hard work,” Mania said. “These people that made it to the Olympics love what they do; they honestly love it. In order for me to love something, I need to really enjoy myself. I need to have a good time, I need to be laughing, smiling and always be in a good mood. Of course, I’ll have my bad days once in a while; but what I’m trying to do this year is to work hard in the pool but still be able to joke around and create a positive atmosphere and make it more fun.”

And that is just what Mania has done. He begins most practices with a flip off the diving block; he swims under his teammates during warm-up, sometimes dragging them to the bottom of the pool; he always encourages his teammates; he stays after practice to talk; he ends all conversations with a hug; and he will do anything to put a smile on a teammate’s face.

“Mania is very high-spirited and energetic,” teammate and roommate Tom Molzahn said. “There is never a dull moment when he is around. Every night at our house is another great Mania moment. I would say that I will always remember his complete disregard for his own body when he tries his best to make someone else laugh. Any injury he has ever gotten has probably been from trying to make someone feel better. Now, that’s sacrifice.”

Mania said that goofing off is something that can lighten the mood for everyone around him.

“The only way to succeed is to be placed in a positive environment,” he said. “It all goes back to simply enjoying what you’re doing. If you enjoy where you’re at and you enjoy what you’re doing, you’re going to do well [because] you’re going to like what you’re doing, obviously. I like to create a happier environment for everyone, but also lead by example in the water.”

With the loss of five of the most talented seniors in Badger swimming history, it is important for Mania to lead in the water.

This year, Mania has stepped up to provide new depth to the program. He has taken on new events in dual meets, such as the 50 freestyle, 100 and 200 breaststrokes.

In the dual meet against Michigan, Mania was the solo event winner for the Badgers, capturing the 50 freestyle in a time of 20.59 seconds. He won the 100 breaststroke in the dual against Iowa and finished second place for Wisconsin in the 200 breaststroke against Arizona.

“I have had to change my roles,” said Mania. “I’m now a breaststroker. I never was. I haven’t swum the 100 breaststroke since my senior year in high school and now I’m swimming it in the relay. It’s working out well; I’m in the top-20 in the U.S. and I’m going just as fast or faster as the former breaststrokers have gone in the past. It’s very exciting to be doing something different.”

Mania still competes in his main events: the 100 and 200 backstrokes, the 200 individual medley, the 100 butterfly and the 100 freestyle. He will concentrate on those events and relays in the upcoming invitational at the University of Texas.

This will be Mania’s first rested meet as a Badger this year and he hopes to carry what he has learned from the Olympics and other international competitions with him.

“The Olympics was one of the most amazing experiences of my life,” he said. “I didn’t swim as well as I wanted to, but just being at the same level as the best was enough. There was a good quote from the guy who invented the Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin, it was: ‘The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part’; just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well. And that sums it up. You made it there; you fought for it and did everything you could. That right there is the best.”

And that is what Mania and the Badgers plan on achieving. Its not about the points, it’s about the effort.

“Mania obviously contributes a lot to the team points at meets, but that is just scratching the surface,” said Molzahn. “He is a great leader to everyone on the team, through his example of what hard work and attention to detail can do for an athlete’s success.”

In a sport where few see fortune or fame and practices begin before sunrise, one competes not for the gold but for the opportunity, and Mania gives back to his teammates what they deserve: a place to belong and a place to have fun.