The Bachelor’s picks for the most high-impact athletes last month
Basketball: Josh Whack ’26
Josh Whack ’26 has always been a talented member of the Wabash basketball roster, but this year, he’s been different. Arguably the most impactful player through the first six games of the season, the junior is second in scoring with 11.3 points per game, first in free throw percentage at .826, third in steals and second in shot percentage at .522 from the field.
Whack also brings an unrivaled defensive presence to court. Most notably, he held Hiram’s lead scorer Trent Jakacki who averages over 20 points per game to just 10 points in the Little Giants’ conference opener.
A dominant Whack is exactly what Wabash needs to maintain program strength after the class of 2024 graduated most of the team’s top scorers from last year..
Cross Country: Brayden Curnutt ’25
Talk about an incredible 30 days — Brayden Curnutt ’25 did more in the month of November than most athletes do in their career.
It all began on November 3, when Curnutt dominated the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championships, winning the race and becoming just the third Wabash man ever to have won the NCAC meet. He wrapped up the 8k run by flashing a “W” with his fingers as he crossed the finish line.
Two weeks later, Curnutt was beating the pack again, this time at the 2024 Division III Great Lakes Regional. The senior led the way with a career-best 24:36.83 and an 11-second lead over second place.
And it didn’t stop there. At the 2024 Division III National Championship, Curnutt ran a 24:30.1 on the brutal LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course to earn his place in Red Pack history as an All-American. Curnutt finished in 18th place.
Football: TJ Alexander ’26
This sophomore had a knack for showing up when Wabash needed him most. TJ Alexander ’26 had a bit of a rough start to November recording zero catches against Denison, but from there the wide receiver from Fishers, Indiana was spectacular.
His numbers weren’t anything ridiculous, with 169 total receiving yards and two touchdowns, but Alexander showed up big in the two most important games of the season.
Probably the biggest catch of his season — it was arguably the best in his career, for that matter – came in the final seconds of the November, 9 game against Wittenberg, when Alexander caught a pass from Brant Campbell in the Tigers’ endzone to seal a come-from-behind victory for the Scarlet & White.
Alexander struck again in the 130th Monon Bell Classic when he caught a 15 yard pass in the fourth quarter. While it ultimately wasn’t enough to overcome DePauw’s lead, it went a long way to take some of the sting out of the loss.
Swimming & Diving: Ryan West ’28
What do the 200-yard backstroke, the 400-yard medley and the 100-yard backstroke have in common? Ryan West ’28 now owns the Wabash record for them – or at least the Wabash freshman record in the case of the 110-yard backstroke.
West was a leader in the Little Giants’ first-ever team victory in the Gail Pebworth Invitational, which was hosted in the weekend before Thanksgiving break.
On top of setting records alone, West was part of a first-place finish in the 400-yard medley relay, contributing to a team time of 3:05.37. He also picked up a bronze finish with the 200-yard medley relay team with a finish of 1:33.98.
The three days of competition brough West up to five total first-place finishes in the month of November. As West continues what has been one of the most promising starts from a freshman in program history, fans should expect a few more records to fall.
Wrestling: James Day ’26
After James Day ’26 finished third in the country in his weight class at last year’s national tournament, the junior was an obvious candidate for an early leader in the 2024-2025 season.
Starting the season off with a bang – Day started November off with an individual title at 133 pounds to help Wabash wrestling finish first in the Adrian College Invitational.
Day followed up his season debut with another personal victory in the Little Giants 14-25 loss to Albion College in a dual meet.
Then the All-American came home on Friday, November 15 where he scored 11 of Wabash’s 27 points in a dual meet victory over the University of Chicago at Chadwick Court. Day pinned Zack Parisi of Chicago in 4:53 in the 133-pound match.
With a strong start to his season, Day has set himself up well to make another run at the national title, this time in the 133-pound weight class.