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Vanderkaay, Peter
- 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the 800m freestyle relay (set an American record)
- 2005 World champion in the 800m freestyle relay
- Won three golds at the 2004 NCAA Championships in the 400y, 1650y freestyle and the 800y freestyle relay
- Added a thrid NCAA title in 2005 by winning the 500y freestyle, finished second i the 200y and the 1650y freestyle
- Won silver in the 800m freestyle relay, bronze in the 800m and 1500m freestyle at the 2003 World University Games
- Took bronze in the 200m and 400m freestyel at the 2003 Summer Nationals
- Named Big Ten Freshman of the Year (2003), Big Ten co-Swimmer of the Year (2004) and 2005 Big Ten Swimmer of the Year
- Had an eight-inch growth spurt his last two years of high school; Michigan coach Jon Urbanchek said he’s “not even close to reaching his potential.” [NBC web site]
- Grew up in a swimming family ... older and younger brothers both swam at the University of Michigan and all three brothers swam together for the Wolverines during the 2004-2005 season
- Former coach Jon Urbanchek said about Vanderkaay -- "Vanderkaay really is nothing but awesome. He has the best attitude - and performances to match."
- Nickname: PVK
- Enjoys hunting, being outdoors, hanging out with friends, playing with his two yellow labradors Maddy and Skyler
- Favorite book is The DaVinci Code ... movie is Kingpin
Vanderkaay talked about his experience at the 2004 Olympics with USA Swimming's Bob Schaller. He told Schaller that he was able to learn from his teammates and competitors. "I don’t know if I learned just one thing in general," Vanderkaay said. "But I definitely picked up a lot of little things. Watching some of the best swimmers in the world was an eye opener for me. I trained with some of the best guys in the country."
On making the Olympic team: “I definitely never thought that I would be in this position, growing up,” Vanderkaay told the Michigan Daily. “Now that I came to Michigan, I’ve definitely had a lot of success. That’s probably made the difference in believing in myself that I could possibly make the (Olympic) team.”
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Born: Feb. 12, 1984
Hometown: Rochester, Mich.
Resides: Ann Arbor, Mich.
Sport: Swimming
Event: Freestyle
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