Wolverine Athlete Spotlight: Tristan Sanders
2/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
Freshman Tristan Sanders is the subject of this week's Wolverine Athlete Spotlight. The Oldsmar, Florida, native talks about a variety of topics, including his preference for cold weather, the immediate impact he's made in the backstroke events and the preparations being made for the Big Ten Championships.
Q: First off, we have to ask -- being from Florida, what do you think of all this snow?
A: I actually don't like the heat that much. Coming here was a change I wanted to make. Right now, I like the snow, I like the cold weather. It's almost refreshing.
Q: Talk about what you're feeling heading into your first championships season?
A: It's very exciting. The club team I came from back home, it was nowhere near as difficult as this is. I can honestly say that this is the hardest I've ever worked in my entire life. Leading up to this point, it's completely different from what I've been used to. But being able to taper off and rest up, I'm excited to see what I can finally do.
Q: The freshman class that you are a part of came in very highly regarded. How do you think you've molded into this team?
A: I think our class has a lot of talent. We're all pretty versatile swimmers. But coming in here, you still have to learn the culture and what it takes to be here. We're still learning the values. Our older guys are doing a great job in teaching us what to strive for. They're setting the example for us in the pool and in the classroom. They've shown us the way, for sure.
Q: Coming in, you were probably aware of the need for a backstroker. Did you think you could help out right away?
A: I got the sense I could help the team, yeah. I knew they weren't as deep in the backstroke as they were in other events. If you were to look at the times put up by some of the other swimmers in other events, you would see that these coaches could train any event. Just because they don't have an All-American backstroker doesn't mean they can't coach it. For me, I knew these coaches would be able to get me to where I needed to be. To be able to help the team win is my primary goal, so I'm pretty happy to be able to do that.
Q: Obviously you still have two months left here, but how would you describe this first year?
A: It's gone pretty well. I'm faster now than I was last year at a lot of these same meets, but I'm also more broken down than I was before. As I said, the training is a lot different, but that's a good thing. For where I am and how hard I've been working, I'm setting myself up for a good finish here.
Q: Sort of like the best is yet to come?
A: Oh yeah, and not just for me. I think everyone will drop a lot of time. Some of the other teams in the nation have shown their cards or given a glimpse, but we haven't. I think it'll be a big surprise for others to see how fast we can go.
Q: The tradition of the Big Ten Championships, you know that the men have a nice little streak going here. How important is it to you and your classmates to keep that going?
A: As a team, we never want to come back from Big Tens empty-handed. Speaking for our class, we don't want to let the older guys down. Our seniors haven't lost a Big Ten Championship and I don't want that to stop with our class. We want to win this year and every year, but we understand it'll be a hard fight. Our team probably isn't as strong as the past couple of years because of our youth, but at the same time, there's not a guy on this team that doesn't think we can win again.
Q: What have the seniors told you about what to expect for that meet?
A: That it's on another level. I don't think a lot of us have been at a meet of that caliber in regards to atmosphere and motivation. When you step onto those blocks, it's not about you -- it's about the team you swim for. For myself a lot of other guys here, we swam for ourselves prior to coming here, but now we're swimming for our teammates, for Michigan and for all those who came before us. It's like you're in a protective state. It makes you fight a lot harder.
Q: Finally, before you get to Big Tens, you have one more dual meet, at Michigan State this Saturday. What are you hoping to accomplish at that competition?
A: It's our last chance to fine-tune some of the details. I don't think anyone on our team is putting themselves under a lot of pressure for this one. We want to go in, swim fast and work on those details, because those are the things that are the difference between winning and losing.
Communications Contact: Brad Rudner (734) 763-4423
