Former Wave stars excel at next level

Many ex-Greenwave stars have been lighting it up this spring in the college ranks.

From the diamond, to the golf course, to the track, eight Fallon grads are making the best of their opportunity to show the Greenwave’s influence across the country.

Senior Sara Parsons (2010) is the only Fallon alum playing at the Division I level this spring as she stars for the Nevada softball team.

The senior outfielder is batting .235 this season and has started in all 31 games, compiling two home runs, 17 RBIs and a .919 fielding percentage. The Wolf Pack, who won seven straight earlier in the month, were recently swept at UNLV but return home this weekend for a three-game series against New Mexico.

Senior Trent Blackwater (2010) is playing his final season on the diamond as he’s pitching at Sul Ross State, a Division III school in Texas, after transferring from St. Gregory’s.

The right-handed hurler is the team’s ace as he’s compiled a 6-1 record and 4.44 ERA in eight games (six starts) and has tallied 41 strikeouts and 19 walks in 48.2 innings. The Lobos are 11-11, including 7-8 in conference this season, and will take on the University of Texas at Dallas this weekend in Richardson, Texas.

Junior Matt Vanderbeek (2010) led the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Division II golf team in the second round of the Central Region Crossover earlier this month. He opened with a 73 on the par-72 at Buffalo Dunes Golf Course. The third round was cancelled because of high winds.

Sophomore Jill Pinder (2012) has pitched in only four games this season at Division III Lewis and Clark, logging 14.1 innings with 13 strikeouts and 16 walks. Pinder has a 1-2 record as Lewis and Clark is off to a slow start, compiling an overall record of 6-14 and 2-9 in league.

Sophomore Jenny Rechel (2012) is the only Fallon alum playing at Western Nevada, as ex-Greenwave teammates Kaysee Archer and Cassie Bell saw their careers end because of injury.

Rechel has been one of the Wildcats’ consistent hitters after knocking in a run in a 17-7 loss to No. 14 College of Southern Idaho last weekend. In the second game, Rechel recorded another hit in the loss. Western Nevada doesn’t play until next week at Salt Lake.

Freshman Haley Jorgensen (2013) boasts an 8-4 record in singles play, including 2-3 in conference while 2-1 in doubles with three different partners at Division III St. Mary’s. Both wins have been in conference for the Cardinals, who have a 6-4 overall record (2-3 in conference). St. Mary’s competes on Saturday against St. Norbert College and the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in Ashwaubenon.

Freshman Tanner Boone (2013) completed the fall season running cross country at NAIA Great Falls (Montana), and is turning the page to the outdoor track season. His first track meet is on Saturday at the University of Montana AI Manual Invitational in Missoula.

Freshman Sam Martin (2013) completed the winter schedule of her swim season at Division II Western State Colorado. Martin partook in the individual medley, butterfly and distance races for the Mountaineers, who took fifth at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships last month. The Mountaineers nearly doubled their team points from the first year to the second. Western scored 166 points at the RMAC Championships in 2012-13, and this season tallied 308 points to place fifth.

Martin took fourth in the 50-meter free with a time of 26.18 seconds, second in the 50 backstroke (28.91), first in the 75 back (1:06.81), second in the 100 back (1:01.99), first in the 200 back (2:13.76), third in the 50 fly (30.10), third in the 100 fly (1:05.49), second in the 200 fly (2:24.79), fourth in the 200 IM (2:24.60) and fourth in the 400 IM (5:07.84).