While we are on a bit of a break from high school sports for the holidays, we want to take the time to provide you with a recap of our Pirate Alumni who participated in intercollegiate athletics this past fall.

Below each athlete’s picture you can read their recap (provided by what stats and news were available through their school’s website). Please understand that some colleges and universities do a better job of providing stats/results and quality pictures than others, and we did our best to highlight our alumni with what resources were available.

Ava Benner – Midway University Volleyball

In her freshman campaign, Ava Benner posted 54 kills, 37 digs, 31 service points, and nine blocks for the Eagles.

Chase Benner – Georgetown College Football

Chase Benner wrapped up a four-year career with the Tigers as a tight end, contributing to Mid-South Conference championship teams in both 2023 and 2024 that earned NCAA postseason appearances. Georgetown made a strong run in the 2024 NAIA Football Championship, highlighted by a 27–21 second-round upset of No. 5 St. Thomas (Fla.) before falling to No. 1 Keiser (Fla.) in the quarterfinals. The Tigers finished this season 7–3 overall and 4–2 in conference play. Benner was also recognized for his academic achievements as an NAIA Scholar-Athlete. 

Blake Fraley – Indiana University Ultimate Frisbee

Blake is a member of the Indiana University Ultimate Frisbee team who completed the fall season with an 8-9 record. Fraley recorded six goals, one assist, and ten defended passes for the Hoosiers. 

Ethan French – Hanover College Football

Ethan French finished up his sophomore campaign with six catches for 50 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers. Hanover posted a 9–3 overall record and went a perfect 6–0 in conference play to secure the outright HCAC championship. The Panthers reached the NCAA Division III playoffs, highlighted by the program’s first home playoff win over Grove City College, before falling to No. 1 overall North Central College in the second round. 

Kaylee Kinser – Hanover College Cross Country

The Hanover sophomore turned in a personal-best 6K time of 22:56.79, finishing fourth at the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship. Her performance now stands tenth on the Hanover College women’s cross country all-time Top 20 list. Kinser was also named to the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference All Academic Team as well as the NCAA All Region Team where she missed the National Championship cut by just one place. 

Clay McClelland – Knox College Football

Clay McClelland finished his sophomore season with 717 all purpose yards and six touchdowns for the Knox College Prairie Fire. 

Jackie McCoy – Taylor University Cross Country

Jackie McCoy finished her junior season at Taylor University off strong with a 23:52 season record 6k, placing 62nd at the Crossroads League Championships. Jackie ran at a total of 5 meets this season for the Trojans after battling through some injuries. 

Jessie McCoy – Taylor University Cross Country

Jessie McCoy is also coming off an injury yet finished her junior season at Taylor University off solid with a 24:32 season record 6k, placing 82nd at the Crossroads League Championships. 

Austin Pickerell – Georgetown College Soccer

Austin Pickerell finished his sophomore season as a defender with the 2-10-1 Tigers where he started all thirteen games. 

Jared Taylor – Mount St. Joseph University Soccer

Jared Taylor finished his freshman season where he played in five games for the 6-10-3 Lions. 

Maci Vaughn – Indiana University Southeast Tennis

Maci Vaughn is currently in her junior year at IU Southeast, where she competes in both singles and doubles for the Grenadiers, who remain among the top teams in the River States Conference. While IU Southeast does not publish individual statistics, Vaughn has established herself as one of the team’s leading performers. 

Bradley Watts – Georgetown College Soccer

Bradley Watts continued his soccer career at Georgetown College; however, an injury sidelined him for the season. 

Alex Wright – Hanover College Golf

Alex Wright wrapped up his fall season at Hanover by competing in four tournaments across nine rounds. He totaled 10.6 points and recorded an 18-hole scoring average of 81.8. His top performance came at the Transylvania Fall Individual at the Wildcat Course, where he tied for 14th out of 30 golfers with a 22-over-par score, matching his best finish of the season. Wright will continue his season in the spring while preparing for the National Championships in early May. 

Article and graphics contributed by the students in the Digital Sports Production class at Charlestown High School for WPMQ, The Pirate Network.