Thomas Peter Wilkens (born November 25, 1975 in Middletown Township, New Jersey

Middletown Township, New Jersey

Middletown Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 66,522...

) is a swimmer from the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, who won a bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics

2000 Summer Olympics

The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

.

The breaststroker was one of the featured swimmers in P.H. Mullen's book Gold in the Water

Gold in the Water

Gold in the Water: The True Story of Ordinary Men and Their Dream of Olympic Glory is a biographical account by P.H. Mullen about a team of elite swimmers preparing for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia....

. He grew up swimming at the Middletown Swim and Tennis Club on Harmony Road.

Wilkens grew up in Middletown Township, New Jersey

Middletown Township, New Jersey

Middletown Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 66,522...

, attended Christian Brothers Academy

Christian Brothers Academy (New Jersey)

Christian Brothers Academy , located in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, New Jersey, is a private, all-boys college preparatory school with a focus on Christian education run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, founded by St. John Baptist de la Salle...

 in Lincroft

Lincroft, New Jersey

Lincroft is a part of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the Lincroft census-designated place had a population was 6,135.-Geography:Lincroft is located at ....

, and graduated from Stanford University

Stanford University

The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

. He was elected as a Republican to serve as a Township Committeeman in Middletown Township.