Sports

Despite trials, support of baseball program brought Brice Swick ’20 back again and again

For senior baseball player Brice Swick ’20, the path to graduation has been a long and winding road. Recruited as a highly touted pitching prospect, Swick had led the Kimberly (Wisconsin) High School team to back-to-back state tournament appearances. Hoping to have that same success at the college level, Swick had to prove himself all over again as a freshman. “One of the main things I’ve learned being a part of Ripon’s baseball program is that hard work and dedication are the only way to get where I want to go,” Swick said. “I spent all my time prior to my freshman season in the gym trying to improve my game. I ended up winning a spot in the pitching rotation which I carried into my sophomore year.”

With his pitching career trending upward, near tragedy struck on Dec. 2, 2017. Swick was an infantryman in the Wisconsin National Guard. He had fallen violently ill and had no sleep the night before a drill in Waupun, but without a doctor’s note he had to attend.

After a full day, an exhausted Swick started the 25-minute trek back to Ripon. Having been awake for 36 hours straight, he fell asleep and his car drifted across the centerline and hit another car head-on. “I don’t remember anything that happened from that moment until two days later,” Swick said. “They had to use the Jaws of Life to get me out of the car and a Flight for Life helicopter to bring me to the hospital.”

He suffered a fractured humerus, broken elbow, torn triceps tendon, torn PCL, spleen laceration and a concussion. After five days in the hospital and just four months until the start of his junior season, Swick used the same regimen he had as a freshman — hard work and dedication — to set a goal of returning to the field by opening day.

“That accident was the lowest moment in my life as I didn’t know if I’d ever play baseball again, which felt like my identity was being stripped from me,” Swick says. “After two months of recovery and physical therapy, I found my way back to the mound and was starting our first game of the 2018 season on our spring trip to Florida.”

After pitching just six innings on that trip, Swick had another setback. He needed more surgery for his torn triceps tendon, “which hit me hard,” Swick says. “After another year of physical therapy, I was back throwing and competing prior to the 2019 season.”

That season, Swick had a year for the ages, going 7-2 with 73 strikeouts and just 16 walks in 73 innings of work, while recording an earned run average of 1.84, the second-lowest in the Midwest Conference. His performance helped the Red Hawks advance to the MWC Championship game, while Swick earned All-Region and All-Conference accolades.

“2019 was the highlight of my college career,” Swick said. “Not only was it the best season I have ever pitched in my life, but our team was really good and I had some great teammates who were all very competitive.”

That MWC Tournament would be the last time Swick and his teammates would play a game for 664 days. The next season was cancelled because of COVID-19.

“Another low point for me was when we found out our season was cancelled just hours before we were about to leave for our spring trip in Florida,” Swick says.

“I thought my college career was over at that point, but I was presented an opportunity to come back to Ripon this spring through Ripon’s Plus Semester Program,” he says. “I saw that as a chance to get my prerequisites for graduate school and an opportunity to play one more season.”

The one constant that helped him get through his trials and tribulations was that the baseball program and Department of Athletics always had his back. “I didn’t anticipate my accident, the injuries or a global pandemic, but Ripon’s baseball program has helped me become the person I am today,” he says. “I’ll forever be thankful for the lessons I learned about hard work, dedication and sacrifice. Without Ripon baseball, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to set an example for my peers. This program means the world to me for trusting me, giving me an opportunity, and for all they have done for me. I’m forever grateful that I decided to make Ripon my home away from home.”

MIKE WESTEMEIER

DIRECTOR OF ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY Named to National All-Academic Team with cumulative grade-point average of 3.1 or higher.

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S SWIMMING: National Scholar

All-America Team honors with cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

MEN’S TENNIS Defeated St. Norbert and Cornell for the first time in 14 years. Christian Millan ’23 of Ripon, Wisconsin, was named to the Wisconsin Men’s Soccer All-State Second Team and named Wisconsin Men’s Soccer’s Sportsperson of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches Association.

WOMEN’S SOCCER Camrie Schmitz ’21 of Kiel, Wisconsin, finished her career with 31 goals, seventh in program history, despite playing just 40 career games. Goalkeeper Stefani Zeiger ’21 of Mundelein, Illinois, finished her career with 222 saves, sixth in program history.

BASEBALL Nick Tenny ’22 of Gilberts, Illinois, gave Ripon a 10-9 win over conference-leading Beloit with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to complete a comeback against the Buccaneers. Nick Terrell ’22 of Peoria, Illinois, hit three home runs at St. Norbert, tied for second in program history for a single game.

SOFTBALL Victoria Duran ’23 of Albuquerque, New Mexico, recorded five RBI against conference-leading Lake Forest, a tie for second in program history for a single game.

FOOTBALL Quarterback Cormac Madigan ’22 of Rosendale, Wisconsin, tied a school record for most completions in a single game, completing 31 passes at Concordia-Wisconsin.

MEN’S BASKETBALL Jack Brady ’22 of Brookfield, Wisconsin, made seven 3-pointers in a win at Lake Forest, tied for sixth in program history for a single game.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL In just her second season, Alison Leslie ’23 of Clayton, Wisconsin, moved into 10th in school history for career 3-pointers.

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD Jackie Zeman ’21 of

Ripon, Wisconsin, broke indoor and outdoor school records in pole vault, clearing over 11 feet twice.

At the Midwest Conference North Division Championships:

• 34 All-Conference honors and nine event champions

• Both teams finished second

• Callista DeCramer ’21 of Princeton, Wisconsin, was top female point scorer, including wins in the 4x400 Relay and 400m hurdles.

• Payton Rahn ’22 of Omro, Wisconsin, is Ripon College’s 14th recipient of MWC’s Elite 20 Award.

• Dameco Walker ’23 of Brown Deer, Wisconsin,

MWC North Men’s Outstanding Track Athlete of the Meet; and Josh Pillath ’24 of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, MWC North

Newcomer of the Year. Both tied as top individual point scorers.