Prior to the 1968 Olympics, Strenk was a member of the U.S. national team assembled for the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada, where he won a bronze medal in the men's 1,500-meter freestyle with a time of 17:03.43. After the Olympics, he was a gold medalist in the men's 400-meter freestyle, 1,500-meter freestyle, and 4×200-meter freestyle relay at the 1970 World University Games held in Turin, Italy.