Courtesy: Franklin College Athletics
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Franklin College women’s swimming & diving team capped off a dominant 2021 season with their fourth straight Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) championship.
The Grizzlies led from wire-to-wire, accumulating 879 total points over the three-day event to finish a full 470 points ahead of second place Transylvania. Franklin claimed three awards with senior Brynna Sentel earning HCAC Swimmer of the Year for the third consecutive year, Samantha Phillips collecting HCAC Freshman of the Year and HCAC Coach of the Year honors going to Franklin’s Andy Hendricks.
Franklin collected gold medals in all six events held on the final day. The first of those golds went to senior Allyson Carroll in the 1650 freestyle with the Plainfield, Ind.-native recording a time of 18:34.10 to earn her first conference title. Next up was the 200 backstroke that went to sophomore Caileigh McCafferty with her time of 2:09.15.
Sentel claimed her third and final individual gold of the weekend after besting the field in the 100 freestyle in 52.13. Senior August Hartzell was next to hit the winner’s circle with a time of 2:21.47 in the 200 breaststroke for her third individual gold medal. Phillips was the final individual to earn a first place finish, winning the 200 butterfly in 2:09.81.
Sentel, Olivia Walther, Hartzell and McCafferty put the finishing touches on the dominant performance with a first place finish in the 400 freestyle relay with their time of 3:34.11. That last relay win gave Sentel a total of seven gold medals for the weekend and Hartzell six golds of her own.
For Franklin’s senior class of Sentel, Hartzell, Walther, Carroll, Jacqueline Richard, Liz Colliver and Savannah Howerton, the weekend’s competition caps an unprecedented era of success over the last four years. All have played major roles in Franklin’s four straight league championships and they all close their careers having never tasted defeat in dual competition.
Other notable finishes
-Junior Rylee Elder picked up her second career bronze medal in the 1650 freestyle
-Becky Pfeifer and Maggie McGuire joined Hartzell as medalists in the 200 breaststroke with Pfeifer taking silver and McGuire bronze. McGuire picked up her second bronze medal of the day in the 200 backstroke.
-Junior Anna Perkins earned silver in the 200 butterfly, finishing just behind Phillips.
Dominance #WetGriz