[media-credit name=’UW Athletic Communications’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]Anna Trinidad came to the University of Wisconsin for one reason: the swim team.

“I went on a bunch of recruiting trips and felt like I got along here with the swim team the best,” the junior co-captain said.

After competing in the 2000 Olympic Trials at age 15 and breaking numerous Colorado state swimming records, Trinidad was one of the fastest recruits ever to join the cardinal and white.

Trinidad wasted no time before making an impact. During her freshman campaign, she finished second in the 200-yard individual medley (IM) at the Big Ten Championships by .01 seconds. Her swim earned her an automatic NCAA bid and a spot on the second-team all-Big Ten list.

“My first year, I improved a lot,” Trinidad said. “I dropped a lot of time in my IM, my main event, and I dropped a lot of time in the breaststroke events. It was good.”

Her sophomore year was a different story. After battling with illness most of the year, Trinidad did not fair as well during Big Tens. However, she did receive a Big Ten Swimmer of the Week award and her first All-American honor for her participation in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay at the NCAA championships.

“Despite the fact that I kept getting sick, my sophomore year was not terrible,” Trinidad said. “I did get close to my best times. It was a rough season, but it ended up OK.”

With an attitude of vengeance, a healthy Trinidad decided to stay in Madison during the summer to train for the 2004 Olympic Trials.

After a dedicated summer, Trinidad accepted a new leadership role as co-captain heading into this season. In addition to expanding her role, Trinidad has taken her performance to a new level.

The junior is currently ranked No. 4 in the nation in the 200 IM, No. 9 in the 400 IM, and No. 15 in the 200 backstroke. She has won an impressive 20 races in seven meets this season, winning all but one 200 IM race she has entered. Her one loss came when she placed second behind the nation’s leader in the 200 IM at the Texas Invitational.

“Staying here this summer and being a part of the training group really set me up for this year,” Trinidad said. “Staying on top of training and hanging out with the team all summer was really positive for me.”

Arguably the most impressive swim of her career came a month ago during the Texas Invitational when Trinidad broke the 2:00 barrier in the 200 IM with a time of 1:59.92. She became just the third Badger in school history to accomplish the feat.

“[Breaking 2:00] has been a goal for me since my freshman year,” Trinidad said. “It was unbelievable.”

Anna’s accomplishments in the water have also motivated her teammates. No one is more inspired by her success than Trinidad’s roommate, Sarah Hernandez.

“Anna (Trinidad) is very motivating and is a strong leader,” Hernandez said. “Not only does she show her leadership by what she does, she also makes her statement by swimming fast in the water and coming to practice every day and training hard.”

Having already eclipsed the 2:00 mark, Trinidad has formulated a new set of goals for the remainder of her UW career. Placing among the top eight in her events at Big Tens and NCAAs are among Trinidad’s revised set of aspirations.

“I just want to get best times,” she said. “Whatever else comes with that, I’ll be happy.”

The co-captain also hopes to lead the No. 9-ranked Badgers to yet another strong finish at this year’s NCAA Championships. To accomplish that goal, Trinidad will rely not only on her performance in the pool, but her ability to rally the troops.

“Anna is always cheering for everyone,” Hernandez said. “You can always hear her voice through the crowd. She has a very loud yell. It’s very ear-piercing, everyone can hear it. And she is always the first to get the team cheers going. She has a really motivating tone.”

It sometimes takes a loud cheer and a familiar voice to make teammates reach their full potential. Aqua Badgers can always count on Trinidad for that last-minute cheer before they dive in. With a welcome mix of athleticism and motivational skills, the future looks bright for Wisconsin’s Anna Trinidad.