Kyle Sorensen is all about the team. In an individual sport like swimming, the team is rarely the focus. But the junior on the Wisconsin swim team takes a different approach.

�Much of my improvement has been due to my teammates,� Sorensen said. �The people I train with day in and day out have made me improve immensely.�

Since winning the Illinois state championships in the 50- and 100-meter freestyles for Palatine High School, Sorensen has steadily improved his personal times to become one of the Badgers� top swimmers.

Earlier in the season, he won several meets against in-state opponents UW-Green Bay and UW-Milwaukee, as well as Arizona. He has cut over a second off of his 50-yard time, and this past week at the Big Ten Swimming Championships in Minneapolis he helped the Badgers finish fourth in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

Sorensen will be looking to follow up on his success in the Big Ten Championships at the NCAA Championships in late March.

�Our relays have a very good chance� of making it to finals, Sorensen said. �We’re looking to final in the 200 and 400 free relays.�

On a team with just one senior (swimmer Nick Bennett), Sorensen will have some of his younger teammates looking up to him in the big meet. That won’t be a problem, however, according to his fellow swimmers.

�He’s a really cool guy,� freshman Fraser Roberts said. �He’s definitely one of the guys you look to when you’re having a bad day, whether it’s in the pool or out of the pool.�

While Sorensen may be looked up to by his teammates, he admits they�re his biggest inspiration as he continues to train for the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer.

“We have a good group competing in the trials, so we’ll be training in Madison,� Sorensen said. �It’s the biggest meet I’ve ever competed in, so I’ll be busy.�

Without any expectations, Sorensen says he is just looking to do his best and have fun. With all the accomplishments he has received, having fun and being a good teammate remain his biggest concerns.

In a sport where individual improvement is stressed, Sorensen leads his team by example.

�I like to think I’m a leader,� Sorensen said. �That comes naturally with being one of the oldest on the team.�

Sorensen and other members of the Badger swimming and diving team will be competing in the NCAA Championships March 27-29 at the University of Washington in Seattle.