He stood tall with water dripping from every part of his body.

Inspired by his sister, he had been swimming since of the age of 9, but he no longer needs to follow in her footsteps because he's done this plenty of times on his own.

Leaning forward, he took his dive and swam as if this was any other meet, but it was only practice.

Junior Ian Clutten is one of a kind because of his willingness to change and listen, said head coach Matt Gianiodis. That's something Gianiodis feels coaches don't get with a lot athletes.

"He has a lot of God-given ability, and he has a lot of size but he also works very hard," Gianiodis said.

Clutten and the Spartans will get another chance to showcase their talent on Feb. 26, at the three-day men's Big Ten Championship in Minneapolis.

Clutten has set and broken numerous records throughout his MSU swimming career.

As a freshman, Clutten set the MSU record in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 54.43. During his sophomore year at the Big Ten Championships, Clutten helped set an MSU record in the 200- and 400-yard medley relays with times of 1:29.22 and 3:17.05, respectively. One of his greatest achievements came this season when he broke the 100-yard breaststroke pool record at Ohio State with a time of 55.19.

Even with all the accomplishments, Clutten, who is majoring in civil engineering, still remains humble.

Growing up in South Africa and coming to the United States was a major adjustment, Clutten said. When comparing his home to America he said there isn't a lot of difference between the two.

"It's (South Africa) very much the same as America," Clutten said. "I lived in Capetown in the suburbs. There are so many different cultures and so many different types of people. It's just great growing up there and just to see so many different cultures and religions."

The weather change was a problem, Clutten said, but he didn't let it interfere with his focus on swimming.

Clutten's day begins with practice around 6:30 a.m., then he goes to class and then back to practice for two more hours.

There are times, he said, when he didn't feel like practicing, but his parents are there to motivate him.

"My parents were big supporters of me when I was younger, and they supported me getting over here," Clutten said.

But despite all the tiring practices and hard work, Clutten has a cool side according to his teammates.

"He's that type of kid that doesn't fool around but knows when to have fun and knows when to be serious," sophomore David Lessard.

Lessard said Clutten has a lighthearted side to him.

"He has these smart aleck comments: He jokes with the coaches about being from South Africa in his twang-twang accent that he has," Lessard said.

Clutten admitted that he has experienced some embarrassing moments at his meets.

"I must have numerous times thought I had my suit on and pulled off my sweats and not have my suit on," Clutten said. "I have done it more than once, so I'm pretty used to it."

With all the embarrassments and the practical jokes aside, Clutten knows when to focus - he still has goals he wants to reach.

"I'd like to make the top 8 in the NCAA (Championships). I've been last year, but I haven't made the top eight," he said.

"If I keep swimming, I want to go to the Olympics in 2008 for my country."