[media-credit name=’MEGHAN CONLIN/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]Just take one step onto the chilly pool deck at the SERF and you'll immediately notice Tom Molzahn — you might not see him, but you'll definitely hear him.

"He is loud," expressed UW assistant coach Kari Woodall. "But you also notice he is the team jokester, and he likes to keep things light for the team. Every team needs one of those."

All jokes aside, Molzahn is also one of the hardest-working members of the UW swim team. The Barrington, Ill., native leads practice every morning and afternoon.

"If you want to compare yourself to see how you're doing in practice, then you compare yourself to Molzahn," explained sophomore teammate Tommy Gregory.

But Molzahn has not always been a consistent leader during practice. Two years ago, when the middle distance swimmer first dove in the pool as a Badger, he had trouble keeping up with the pack. Ambition and dedication were there, but his endurance was lacking. As Molzahn finally began to adjust to college training, an accident happened in Fall 2003 that would cause a major bump in his road to perfection.

It was a cool night on State Street and Molzahn was out walking with some teammates. Being the jokester that he is, Molzahn decided it would be a great idea to jump on top of a former teammate's back. The jump was unexpected, and Molzahn plummeted over six feet to the pavement headfirst.

"He was totally out of it for what seemed like a couple weeks," former teammate Matt Bonzer said. "He could barely stand up and walk downstairs to get dinner. All he wanted to do was train, hang out and party with everyone else."

His injuries resulted in a skull fracture, hemorrhaging to the brain, bruising in the brain and severe damage to his left ear. After weeks of recuperation and rehab, Molzahn was able to return to the water with a new outlook on swimming, and himself.

"I think the biggest thing it taught me was how to get through a tough time," Molzahn explained. "Obviously the injury was tough, but getting back in the water was more difficult. I had to learn how to walk again and how to do simple things like learning how to do a flip turn all over again.

"It will definitely be the toughest time in my four years here, and getting it out of the way has given me a new perspective on the rest of my career," he added.

Now, as one of two upperclassmen, Molzahn has become more mature and can't be tamed.

"He is a relentless worker," said senior teammate Mike Hamm. "He works his butt off."

"Every since my freshman year in high school, I've been able to improve," Molzahn said. "I put a lot of faith in the coaches that I have, and I try to learn as much as I can from them. Each year you learn something new about your stroke, something new about yourself, and I think that's what has helped a lot."

Being the lone junior on the team has also helped Molzahn flourish into the team leader that he is today. His skills in and out of the water have also led him to become co-captain this year with Hamm — a role that hasn't been easy for Molzahn.

"It has been tough," he explained. "I'm the only junior and there is only one other senior, so it was hard to try and bring a bunch of young guns together. It was also hard to bring focus to a bunch of guys who have little experience on the team. It's been a tough year, but also a fun year."

Being the only junior on the team has also had an effect on Molzahn. However, he believes this unique situation also contains some benefits.

"I liked a lot of guys in my class, but being the only junior, the underclassmen know who to look up too," Molzahn said. "There are only two upperclassmen, so they know who to go to for experience. And that made it easier. It was easier having a couple of focused individuals rather than a bunch of guys."

"I don't think it has mattered," Hamm commented about Molzahn's lone junior status. "Tommy has been a very good team member. He has been very friendly to all the guys in all the classes. I think being the only guy in his class is maybe a source of pride since he has been the only one to stick with it.

"He has been an excellent captain this year and he will be an excellent captain next year," Hamm continued.

Though Molzahn may be an excellent leader, his greatest quality may be his ability to focus on himself. Over the years, Molzahn has lost many training partners due to graduation. This can be difficult for most swimmers, considering the sport requires you to spend over 90 percent of the practice with your head underwater.

But Molzahn hasn't let a lack of a training partner discourage him.

"His greatest quality is that he focuses on himself a lot," Woodall said. "He just puts his head down and gets to work. He will do whatever you will ask of him. He is always trying to figure out how to get better, and he is always trying to please you."

Even without a training mate, Molzahn continues to improve each day. After a long season of hard work and dedication, his training abilities will be put to the test this weekend as the Badgers set themselves to participate in the Big Ten Championships in Bloomington, Ind.

At the Championships, Molzahn will be competing in three individual events (200-yard butterfly, 200-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle) as well as a plethora of relays.

Though he would like to see himself improve at another Big Ten meet, his main focus will be the relays, which he is hoping will help him qualify for the NCAA Championships in March.

"I think that the main goal and focus is getting the relays to NC's and getting as many guys as we can to go," he said. "I have always been able to swim on another level when I am swimming for someone else. I think everyone else does too. You can go as fast as you can individually, but somehow you can always go a second faster on a relay, and you don't feel as if you did anything different except that you are swimming for a different purpose."

Relays will be a huge factor for Molzahn, but individual events are important as well. In the Big Ten, his highest seeding going into the meet is 15th in the 200-yard butterfly. This outside seeding could play a large role for Molzahn in that he is an outside threat to faster competition.

"He is in a good position right now, because people don't know who he is," Woodall explained. "He could be that guy in the outside lane that sneaks up on everyone."

"He has come a long ways, and he keeps improving," volunteer student assistant coach Adam Mania added. "There is no limit to his talent."

A successful meet could add to Molzahn's confidence, which is something that Woodall would like to see.

"He needs confidence, and with maturity comes that confidence," Woodall explained. "He has not been on the national scene quite yet. He went to Nationals this past summer, and that was a huge breakthrough for him.

"Physically, he is talented and he works hard and he gets everything out of this sport, but it is a big mental breakthrough to not just go there, but [be] someone who is noticed," she added.

Whether Molzahn has a successful championships or not, one thing is for sure; he will be heard.

"I think he is going to do a really good job," Mania said. "Being very vocal, it is going to be vital for him to step it up. That is how he will lead by example. I think that when he is yelling at someone, we all want him to go overboard; so then everyone wants to get in on it. He is going to make cheering a lot more fun. Molzahn always has a way of multiplying his energy, and everyone thinks that it's hilarious."

Added Molzahn: "I just think that being heard and bringing a lot of energy to the team will help bring everyone together. Sometimes you need someone to say what needs to be heard, and I think that when everyone hears one voice, it can bring everyone together."