Sonnabend leaves his mark on Coyote program

A young boy hears the one, two, three of the referee’s hand hitting the wrestling mat. His anger begins to swell, and he rips his head gear off and throws it into the stands. He knows he shouldn’t have lost that match. 

The young boy watches as his dad makes his way down from the stands. His dad picks him up and says: “You are never wrestling again.” 

The next day Parker Sonnabend was enrolled in a swim class, and he’s never looked back.

Many athletes attribute their success to their parents’ love and support, not many can say it’s from their parents' direct intervention, but for Sonnabend that change in course is exactly what he needed. 

A native of Brillion, Wisconsin, Sonnabend competed in three high school sports including baseball, football and swimming. When deciding where to continue both his educational and athletic journey, he said USD seemed like a perfect fit due to the small-town atmosphere he was used to, and the swim team gave him the best chance at success. 

Sonnabend’s first season as a Coyote became a defining moment of his swim career. As a freshman, he helped the men’s team to their first-ever Summit League title. Sonnabend placed second in the 100 IM, fourth in the 100 breast and seventh in the 200 IM at the conference championships.

“I’ve never had a feeling like how I felt when our men’s team won,” Sonnabend said. “We knew how big that was not only for our team but for the university. That was a huge moment for me to get to be a part of.”

While Sonnabend has found success in his individual events, making the Coyote Top 10 list in the 100 Breaststroke, 200 Breaststroke, 100 IM and 200 IM, he said he favors his relay events.

Matthew Sorbe, Alec Thomas and Connor Mes were the three people who had Sonnabend’s back as they broke the university’s five-year-old record for the 800 freestyle relay in 2023, clocking in at 6:37.72. 

As Sonnabend’s senior season wraps up, he knew he wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to the red and white, so he decided to stick around for his COVID year (in 2024-2025) while he pursues his master’s in sport management. 

“Parker will be a fifth year and get to compete one more time for us. Having that breadth of experience on the team is something you can’t put a price tag on. He has a better understanding of his body and how he needs to mentor the younger kids coming in. It is going to be a huge help for us,” head coach Jason Mahowald said. 

For now, though, Sonnabend is focusing on what’s right in front of him, the Summit League Championships and all the memories that are to come with that experience.