Wiesner's Decision Was the Right One
December 22, 2004 | Men's Swimming & Diving
When Eric Wiesner was a senior in high school, he wasn't sure where he was going to be attending college. He wanted to swim for a college team, so he sent his information to a few different schools but only heard back from the University Wisconsin.
'When I came out here I really enjoyed it and had a great time on my trip," said Wiesner, now a senior at UW. "It was a really hard decision for me because I visited only three days before the early signing deadline, so I only had three days to decide whether to swim at Wisconsin or not.'
In the end, he decided to attend the University that fall. In his first three seasons, Wiesner has won a Big Ten title in the 400-yard freestyle relay, been selected Academic All-Big Ten twice, earned honorable mention All-America four times, been a member of three UW record-holding relay teams and was awarded his first Big Ten Swimmer of the Week honor this year.
Being from the small town of Montrose, Colo., a town with a population of less than 20,000, Wiesner was nervous coming to a comparatively big city (Madison's population is 217,935) and a large school (enrollment of 41,595). Although it took him time to get adjusted, there is no place he would rather be now.
"(After a while, Madison) doesn't feel like it's that big; the college doesn't feel that big,' said Wiesner. 'Some campuses, you walk on and are taken aback. Here it's part of the town, and I really like that.'
Being a student-athlete takes a lot more time than one might think. Having practices twice a day--early in the morning and then in the afternoon--one must take classes during the middle of the day, then study at night after practice.
According to Wiesner, finding the balance between school and swimming, and what it takes to excel at both, can be difficult. At times it is tough for the team to keep up on its work when it travels so much for swim meets.
'I feel it's the same as having a job, you have to balance that work and school, and it actually helps you to stay really organized,' said Wiesner. "I really enjoy it. Even with all the work, I wouldn't trade it for anything. '
With all the time spent in class and devoted to swimming, Wiesner doesn't have that much free time, so the small amount he gets, he uses wisely.
'I try to catch up on all the sleep I've missed during the week,' said Wiesner. 'I try to catch up on homework as well."
One thing making life easier for Wiesner is the fact that his younger sister, Andrea, also swims for the Badgers. He really likes having her here swimming and going to school at the same place. It is great for them to be together since they are so far away from their hometown, the older brother says.
'The rest of the guys on the team are cool about it, they don't give me or her a hard time,' said Wiesner. 'She can take care of herself, she is a really strong girl. It's not something I ever really have to worry about. '
Wiesner also has a younger brother who is a junior in high school right now. At the Texas Invite this fall, a lot of people came up to his brother and asked if he was going to swim for Wisconsin like his brother and sister. Even if Wiesner 's brother decides to attend Wisconsin, the three siblings will not be able to swim together as Eric will have already graduated by then.
As for social life, Wiesner enjoys catching a flick now and then.
"I've watched a lot of movies, you can say I'm sort of a movie buff. My obsession for the last couple of weeks has been `The Big Lebowski'. '
The men's and women's swim teams usually try to hang out together on Saturday nights, due to the fact it is usually the only night of the week they have off after meets.
'It has always been like that - we are a very close knit group,' said Wiesner. 'Next year pretty much the entire swimming team is living in one building to ensure that closeness.
"I love hanging out with guys like Adam Mania and Tom Molzahn, they are just hilarious guys to be around. It's not only the things they do, but just hanging out and the things they say and goofing around is so fun.'
Wiesner's decision four years ago appears to have been a wise one, as he would have missed out on all the opportunities and experiences that place him where he is today.
