Swimmers make big splash: Former Franklin athletes have successful debuts to collegiate careers

Evansville’s Abby Smith and DePauw’s Alex Grissom, both freshman swimmers and Franklin graduates, began their collegiate careers with outstanding performances.

Competing in a five-way meet with Butler, Wright State, St. Louis and Valparaiso, Smith won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.94 and the 100 freestyle in 53.78 and was a member of the winning 400-yard freestyle relay team. In her next meet, a dual meet loss to Southern Illinois by a 124-119 score, she won the 50 freestyle (24.24) and the 100 freestyle (53.93) and was a member of the winning 200-yard medley relay team.

In a three-way meet with Centre and Washington and Lee, Grissom won the 200 freestyle (1:45.44) and the 500 freestyle (4:54.95) and was a member of the wining 400-yard freestyle relay team.

Franklin

• Dylan Hodges caught one pass for 12 yards in Franklin’s 69-0 football win against Anderson.
• Lyndsey Wall was first for Indiana and 55th of 243 runners in 22:23.2 at the 6K D-I Pre-Nationals Cross-Country Meet at Louisville.
• The Trine volleyball team (17-8, 8-4) defeated Adrian 3-0. Lauren Verkemp had seven kills, seven digs and two assists; and Megan Verkemp had one kill and one block in two games.
• The Marian volleyball team (8-6) defeated Spring Arbor 3-0 and lost 3-2 to Mount Vernon Nazarene. Setter Kacie Kelly had double-doubles in each match. The junior had 10 kills, 25 assists, five digs and one service ace in the win and 41 assists, 12 digs, three kills and one assist in the loss.

Indian Creek

• Hanover’s football team (4-2, 4-0) defeated Bluffton 40-13. Ethan Waltz intercepted a pass and returned it 22 yards for the Panthers, and teammate Vince Peiffer assisted on two tackles.
• Defensive end Josh Bales assisted on five tackles, one a sack, for the Franklin football team in a 69-0 win against Anderson.
• The Indianapolis swimmers defeated Asbury 124-77. Greyhound Richard Gregg was sixth of 12 in the 100 freestyle (52.03) and sixth of 10 in the 50 freestyle (23.04).
• Running at the 5K Wilmington Fall Cross-Country Classic, Anna Murdock was second for Franklin and 21st of 340 overall in 19:08.13.

Edinburgh

• Ashley Myers was third for Franklin and 127th of 340 runners in 20:58.71 at the 5K Wilmington Fall Cross-Country Classic.
• The IU-South Bend volleyball team (10-10, 7-4) defeated Purdue-North Central 3-0 and lost 3-1 to St. Francis, Illinois. Sam Stinson had 13 kills, four digs and one assist in the two matches.

Center Grove

• Blake Miller assisted on two tackles and recovered a fumble for the Southern Illinois football team (4-3, 3-1) in a 34-31 win against Northern Iowa.
• Joel Hale had one solo tackle for Ohio State’s football team (7-0, 3-0) in a 52-49 win against Indiana.
• In 3-4 Miami’s 37-12 football loss to Bowling Green, Luke Swift caught two passes for 29 yards and lost five yards on one carry from scrimmage.
• Tanner Riley returned two kickoffs 43 yards and caught one pass for nine yards in 5-2 Indiana State’s 17-14 upset win against top-ranked North Dakota State.
• Jordan Luallen carried the ball twice for two yards, including a one yard touchdown run, for the Cincinnati football team (5-0) in a 49-17 defeat of Fordham.
• The Ball State football team (4-3, 2-2) defeated Western Michigan 30-24. Joel Cox assisted on three tackles, one a sack.
• Mike Wood totaled 62 yards on seven kickoffs for the Franklin football team (4-2) in a 69-0 win against Anderson.
• The Azusa Pacific cross-country team finished second of 11 teams at the 5K Vanguard College Invitational. Sarah Higgens was fourth of 104 runners, second for Azusa, in 17:46.29.
• Competing at the 6K Wisconsin-Oshkosh Brooks Cross-Country Invitational, Megan Ryan was 304th of 500 women and second for Benedictine in 25:42.42.
• The Evansville cross-country team won the five-team 5K Evansville Invitational. Nicole Kreuzman was seventh for the Aces and 21st of 55 overall in 20:08.24.
• Ryan Meyer was 11th for Rose-Hulman and 140th of 380 overall in 27:42.13 at the 8K Wilmington Fall Cross-Country Classic.
• The Queens of Charlotte swimming team competed at the All-Carolina Invitational. Taylor Davis was 37th of 53 in the 100 butterfly (1:02.99), 35th of 56 in the 200 freestyle (2:04.87), 39th of 49 in the 200 backstroke (2:25.14) and 18th of 18 in the 1,650 freestyle (19:35.54).
• Stacy Klene scored an unassisted goal for the Indianapolis soccer team (7-7, 6-6) in a 5-1 win against Missouri-St. Louis.
• The Marian men’s golf team finished third of 19 teams at the NAIA Midwest Invitational. Zach Muench was 45th of 100 golfers, fifth for the Knights, with scores of 46-34—80.
• The Valparaiso volleyball team (13-9, 5-2) defeated Green Bay 3-0 and Milwaukee 3-2. Sarah Dooms had a double-double with 14 kills, 21 digs and five blocks against Milwaukee and 19 digs, one block, two assists, one service ace and two kills against Green Bay.
• The Southern Indiana volleyball team (10-11) defeated Northern Michigan 3-0 and lost 3-1 to Wayne State and Ferris State. Kayla Heldman had 52 digs, seven assists and four service aces in the three matches.
• Adria Pryor had a double-double (52 assists and 14 digs), two service aces and two blocks for the Toledo volleyball team (8-12, 2-6) in a 3-2 loss to Ohio. She had 43 assists, two service aces, four digs and four blocks in a 3-0 defeat of Kent State.
• The St. Joseph’s volleyball team (5-17) lost 3-0 to Ohio Dominican, defeated Lake Superior 3-1 and lost 3-2 to Michigan Tech. Hannah Bedan played in 11 games and had 15 kills, eight blocks, six digs, three service aces and one assist.
• The Indianapolis volleyball team (19-3) lost 3-2 to Ashland and defeated Ferris State 3-1 and Wayne State 3-0. Arielle Knafel played very briefly against Ashland; but she started in the other two matches and had 22 kills, five blocks, four digs and one assist.

Whiteland

• Tyler Gribbons had one solo tackle (a sack) and a forced fumble for the Franklin football team (4-2) in a 69-0 win against Anderson.
• Kollin Wheat assisted on two tackles for the Earlham football team (0-6, 0-4) in a 45-9 loss to Manchester.
• Jordan Sharp assisted on one tackle for the Indianapolis football team (5-2) in a 45-13 defeat of Central State.
• Sarah Craven led the Franklin golf team to the Heartland Conference championship with scores of 80-89-169. The sophomore was second of 40 overall.

Greenwood

• The Anderson soccer team (0-14) lost 4-0 to Bluffton and 6-1 to Earlham. Goal keeper Danielle Gilles had five saves against Bluffton and 10 against Earlham.
• The Hanover volleyball team (13-13, 3-4) defeated Bluffton 3-0 and lost 3-2 to Defiance. Ashley Burakiewicz had nine kills, 22 digs and one block in the two matches.
• The Indiana State cross-country team finished 13th of 26 teams at the 6K Pre-Nationals. Amy Hicks was fifth for the Sycamores and 198th of 243 overall in 24:18.7.
• Isaac Smith was 15th for Carthage College and 479th of 500 runners in 31:53.83 at the 8K Wisconsin-Oshkosh Brooks Cross-Country Invitational.
• Norfolk State tennis player Kent Austin won two matches and lost one in Flight C doubles at the Wake Forest Invitational. He lost both his Flight D singles matches.

Walt Vanderbush is a retired principal for Franklin Community High School. Send comments to letters@dailyjournal.net.