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Ben Wildman-Tobriner

By Mat Luebbers, About.com

Ben Wildman-Tobriner

Ben Wildman-Tobriner

Nick Laham/Getty Images

Ben is in the 50 Freeestyle and will help on the 4x100 freestyle relay

Stats:

  • CLUB: Stanford Swimming (STAN-CA)
  • DOB: Sep 21, 1984
  • HEIGHT: 6' 4" (193.0 cm)
  • WEIGHT: 200 lbs (90.7 kg)
  • HOMETOWN: San Francisco, Calif.
  • RESIDENCE: Palo Alto, Calif.
  • BIRTHPLACE: San Francisco, Calif.
  • COACHED BY: Skip Kenney

Personal Notes:

  • High School: Lick-Wildmerding HS '03
  • College: Stanford ’07
  • College Major: Biomechanical Engineering
  • Future Professional Aspirations: Doctor
  • Parents: Michael Tobriner and Stephanie Wildman; father is an attorney, and mother is a law professor
  • Sibling(s): Older sister (Becky) who used to swim and play water polo
  • Notable Relative(s): Grandfather (Matthew Tobriner) served on the California Supreme Court in the 1960s
  • Sports Played Before Swimming: Baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, golf
  • Nickname(s): Vildman; when he was in Europe, a clerk at the train station pronounced Wildman in a German accent, and people just kept calling him that
  • Hobbies Outside the Pool: Playing golf, writing songs, playing the guitar, wood working, photography
  • Ultimate Way to Relax: Playing the guitar while camping
  • Most Influential Person: Parents; "I’ve always looked up to them. They’ve taught me a lot in life, most importantly, to never bet against yourself.”
  • Training Stats: Swims 7,000 meters/yards per day, 3-4 hours a day, 6 days a week
  • In Aug. 2005 after competing at the World Champs, traveled to Izmir, Turkey, to watch Stanford teammates Kyle Ransom and Shaun Phillips compete at WUGs; he came as a result of a "gentleman’s agreement" made with Phillips and Ransom at the 2005 World Champ Trials in April, where all three were attempting to qualify for a summer international team; if Phillips and Ransom made the WUGs team, and if Wildman-Tobriner made the World Champs (held the last week of July in Montreal) team, he would travel to Turkey and cheer them on; after WUGs, the three went on a tour of Europe, hitting up Austria, Italy and Greece
  • was a Rhodes Scholar finalist in the fall of 2007
  • Favorites:
    • U.S. city: Honolulu
    • int'l destination: Rome
    • band: Brand New
    • summer activity: golf
    • T.V. show: Lost
    • movie: The Matrix

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