A weekend of hanging tough against some of the top Division III and NAIA competition in the Midwest was good enough to be the toast of the HCAC.

The league's coaches voted junior sprint freestyler Petal Sloan and sophomore diver Alexis Fleming as the HCAC Women's Swimmer and Diver of the Week after both enjoyed strong performances in the Colonel Classic meet at Centre this past Friday and Saturday.

Fleming has won the diving award after five of the six weeks the Grizzlies have competed; teammate Kaleigh Schuler claimed the other. On the swim side, Sloan is the fourth different Grizzly woman to win this season.

Sloan had two individual victories at the meet, racking up 55 points in total with wins in the 100 and 200 freestyle races (52.93 and 1:56.86, respectively) and taking fourth in the 50 free (24.83). Even within a program as storied as the Griz women, such swims are rare outside of championship meets.

"Petal Sloan was insane," Franklin coach Zach Rayce said. "Her 100 and 200 were some of the fastest swims untapered in school history."

Sloan also joined Kat Lundy, Celeste Hollis and Avery Tomlinson on a 400 medley relay that finished second in 3:59.39, which Rayce believes is the first untapered sub-4:00 swim the women have ever had. Sloan was also part of the 400 freestyle relay (second) and the 800 free relay (fourth).

Fleming placed first against a tough field in the 3-meter diving competition with a score of 224.25 points, then added an eighth-place finish on the 1-meter board (183.75).

The Grizzlies return to action this weekend with a Friday (Jan. 16) home meet against Wabash and a Saturday (Jan. 17) trip to DePauw.