The Bachelor’s picks for the most high-impact athletes last month
Football: Brand Campbell ’27
After the devastating loss of starting quarterback Blake White ’25, Wabash football needed someone to step into the toughest position in sports. Enter Brand Campbell ’27.
Now leading the NCAC in completion percentage (71.4) and standing at second in passing efficiency (188.7), Campbell turned a nightmare scenario into a dream season for a backup QB.
His breakout game came against Wooster, where he reached 232 passing yards and three touchdowns, while completing 75% of his passes.
In October, the sophomore under center went on a wild streak of dominance — completing 79.73% of his passes, hitting 742 passing yards and 10 touchdowns. All this came on 72 attempts, setting Campbell up as a staple of consistency from the pocket.
With the biggest matchups of the season all set to begin in November — inevitably leading up to the 130th Monon Bell Classic on November 16 — Campbell will be called upon to finish what he started in late September.
Soccer: Jose Escalante ’26
The nightmare on Jenison street, Jose Escalante ’26, left opposing keepers on their toes through the month of October.
Scoring a goal on the road at Hiram, a two-piece at home against Wooster and one more against Wittenberg, Escalante extended his season total to eight goals. But he didn’t just knock them in. Escalante dished out a key assist to Bruno Zamora ’25 in the 2-2 tie against DePauw on October 5 in Greencastle.
As always, Escalante brings much needed physical play to the Little Giant roster, making him one of the NCAC’s most dangerous scorers near the goal. All things taken together, he is fourth in the conference for goals this season.
With one game to go in the season, fans should expect to see a player hell-bent on ending the year with a bang. Oberlin will need to bring their A-game on November 2 if they hope to keep Escalante from extending his season totals even further.
Swimming & Diving: Quinn Sweeney ’27
Talk about making a splash — Quinn Sweeney ’27 hit his stride early in the month of October, recording five first-place finishes in four matches.
His 200-yard freestyle relay took gold in both the Dan Ross Intercollegiate Meet and in the double-dual meet against Centre College and Albion college. Sweeney also claimed a first place finish alongside the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Individually, he swam to first place in the 200-yard butterfly and 200-yard freestyle over the course of the season’s opening weeks.
With his scoring, Wabash was able to take away a narrow, 151 to 148 win over Centre and walk out of the water with a blowout 256 to 58 win over Albion.
Hoping to follow up on a dominant freshman year, Sweeney continues to impress in the pool.
Cross Country: Jacob Sitzman ’25
With just two opportunities to showcase their talents in October, the Red Pack spent most of the month training between meets. But one Little Giant made the absolute most of his two appearances.
Jacob Sitzman ’25 set a lifetime best time in the 8k at the NCAA Pre-National meet. Hosted at the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana, the meet gave Wabash a chance to race on the course where they will hold the conference championships. Sitzman turned in a time of 26:21.50 to place 21st overall out of a field of almost 300 runners.
Sitzman did it again at the Augustana College Interregional Invite, running 26:13.5 against the toughest field of competition Wabash will see before nationals.
While he didn’t lead his team, he took major strides forward to propel himself and his team ahead of the upcoming North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championship on November 3.