[media-credit name=’DEREK MONTGOMERY/Herald Photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]Going down in the record books as the first international student on the University of Wisconsin swimming team, Yi Ting Siow is certainly no stranger to setting records, making waves both in the pool and in the news along the way.
Siow's grit and determination were on display at last Thursday's dual meet with Northwestern. Despite feeling under the weather, Siow contributed valuable points to the team in the 400-yard individual medley and the 200-yard medley relay, which led the Badgers in cruising to a comfortable 148-75 finish over the Wildcats.
The Sembilan, Malaysia, native currently holds the top times for the women's team this year in four events — the 100- and 200-yard breaststrokes and 200- and 400-yard IM — all posted at the Southern Methodist University Classic in Dallas, Texas, last month.
With this sterling performance, Siow earned her first career Big Ten Swimmer of the Week honor, helping the Badgers to a fourth-place meet finish.
Siow's first-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke made the NCAA "A" Standard qualifying mark, setting a UW school record with her time of 02:11.59. Siow's wins in the 100-yard breaststroke and 200- and 400-yard IM events also made the NCAA "B" Standard qualifying times, finishing in impressive times of 01:03.13, 02:01.51 and 04:16.34, respectively.
The freshman's accomplishments in her first semester as a Badger are, without a doubt, something else, especially considering she is more acclimatized to Malaysia's hot and humid weather (with an annual average temperature ranging from the upper-70s to mid-80s).
Having spent some years competing at her high school — The Bolles School — in Florida, Wisconsin's unpredictable weather is indeed a new experience for Siow.
"I wasn't used to the cold when I first came to the States," Siow said. "But, well, (even though) it doesn't snow in Florida … it still gets cold in the winter. Besides that, we trained outdoors. I hate training outdoors during the winter. At UW, we have an indoor pool and it's so much better."
Fortunately for Siow, Bolles has served as a stepping stone through which she was able to quickly adapt to a different culture and educational system altogether.
"Bolles has one of the best swimming programs in the country for high schools," Siow said. "It has really helped me (in my transition)."
Even as a rookie on the team, Siow is no less a familiar face in the swimming circuit. Having represented Malaysia at such prestigious meets as the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games and the 2005 FINA World Championships on top of winning countless medals at consecutive South East Asian (SEA) Games, Siow's talent in the water certainly shines through.
Siow currently holds the SEA Games' 200-meter LC breaststroke record of 02:31.90 (set in 2001), making her Malaysia's top female swimmer and the fastest woman in South East Asia in that event.
In fact, Malaysian newspaper The Star has predicted that "Malaysia has already lost a gold and a silver medal in swimming before the contingent sets foot in [Manila, Philippines] for the 23rd SEA Games [to be held Nov. 29 to Dec. 4]." This comes in response to Siow's decision to forego the games in order to focus on her studies, as she feels her academics hold more precedence, especially since she is on a scholarship program with the university.
With a passion for fashion and design, Siow intends to major in textile and apparel design.
"I have always wanted to [become] a fashion designer and get to design my own clothes since I was young," Siow said. "UW also has the best swimming and academic programs compared to other schools that I visited."
With years of competitive swimming experience under her belt, Siow is nevertheless modest about her achievements.
"I've learned that in spite of being one of the [few] Olympic swimmers on the team, I still need to work really hard to achieve my best times," Siow said.
Head coach Eric Hansen has certainly noticed Siow's talent and potential, describing Siow as a "great swimmer, a very self-motivated individual who takes practice very seriously and makes full use of the great opportunity she has."