Jacob Destrampe couldn’t have scripted a much better ending to his high school swimming career.
The Franklin senior went out with a bang at last month’s state meet, taking first place in both of his individual events (50- and 100-yard freestyle) and leading off a pair of second-place freestyle relays. Destrampe’s efforts led the Grizzly Cubs to a second consecutive runner-up team finish — and he added the Mental Attitude Award for good measure.
Destrampe is unquestionably the most accomplished swimmer in Franklin history, and he is the Daily Journal’s Boys Swimmer of the Year for the third consecutive season.
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“It’s a lot,” Destrampe said of his time with the Grizzly Cubs. “When I look back and I see all that, what I’ve accomplished and all the team has accomplished … it’s a lot, and it’s something that I’ll definitely remember forever.”
Much like classmate Carla Gildersleeve on the girls side, Destrampe helped turn Franklin swimming into a state powerhouse. The Grizzly Cubs had never finished higher than 11th before cracking the top 10 in 2017. The last two years, with Destrampe leading the charge, the team was able to shove its way past everyone except for Carmel — arguably the top public-school program in America.
“Obviously, his impact has been immense,” Franklin coach Zach DeWitt said. “I think that he happened to have the right crew of cats around him in order to allow him to catapult this team — it was kind of the perfect mix of some things. But at the end of the day, Jacob was paramount to all of our successes.”
The Grizzly Cubs had more vocal leaders than Destrampe, including fellow seniors Griffin Edwards and Shane O’Sullivan. But when it came to setting the tone at practices, Destrampe didn’t need to say anything. His work ethic — and the results that came from it — spoke volumes.
“I lead by example,” Destrampe said. “When I’m in the water, I’m focusing on my technique; I try to work hard during practice. And then Griffin and Shane, who are definitely way more outspoken than me, they usually tell other people, ‘Hey, look at Jacob. Look at what he’s doing; try to get to him. Come on; let’s try to pick it up.’ And they tell them to follow me, and I think it works really well.”
Destrampe will now take his talents down State Road 37 to Bloomington, where he’ll join a team that’s currently ranked third in the country.
He’s looking forward to the challenge of being just another swimmer on the team instead of the one that everyone else is looking up to.
“Throughout my career of swimming, I’ve always just been thrust into the leadership position, like, ‘You need to do this; figure it out,’” Destrampe said. “But when I become a freshman at IU, I’m actually going to be shown from upperclassmen what do to. So it’s going to be a big change for me, and swimming-wise, it’s going to probably be a bit more rough.
“It takes a little bit of pressure off — but it’s actually a little more pressure, because now I have to catch up to all of those leadership guys.”
Destrampe had passed up everybody else by the end of his high school career; there’s no reason to think he can’t do the same with the Hoosiers.
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The 2019 All-County team for boys swimming and diving:
Gauge Creech, Franklin senior: Earned his third consecutive top-10 state finish in 1-meter diving, placing sixth with a score of 451.60 … Broke his own school record with a total of 498.25 while winning a third straight sectional title.
Jacob Destrampe, Franklin senior: Won state championships in the 50- and 100-yard freestyles, led off two state runner-up relays (200 and 400 freestyle) and won the IHSAA’s Mental Attitude Award … Will swim at Indiana University next season.
Griffin Edwards, Franklin senior: Was an individual state qualifier in two events (200 individual medley and 100 butterfly), finishing 13th in the IM … Also swam on Grizzly Cubs’ medley relay, which finished sixth in the state.
Tony Gipson, Center Grove junior: Qualified for the state meet as an individual in the 100 butterfly, finishing 15th, and swam on all three of the Trojans’ state-qualifying relays, helping the 200 medley relay to a 12th-place finish.
Brenden Gough, Whiteland senior: Got the Warriors onto the state scoreboard with a 14th-place finish in the 200 freestyle … Also qualified for state meet in the 100 butterfly, finishing 17th … Plans to walk on at Purdue next season.
Max Kramer, Franklin junior: Swam on all three of Grizzly Cubs’ medal-winning relays, helping secure second-place state finishes in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays and a sixth-place showing in the 200 medley relay.
Ethan Martin, Center Grove sophomore: Won county title in 50-yard freestyle and qualified for state in the event, placing 23rd … Anchored Trojans’ 12th-place medley relay and led off state qualifying 200 and 400 freestyle relays.
Cade Oliver, Franklin sophomore: Finished eighth at state meet in 200 individual medley and 10th in the 100 backstroke … Anchored state runner-up 400 freestyle relay and led off medley relay that finished sixth in the state.
Shane O’Sullivan, Franklin senior: Finished ninth in the state in the 100 butterfly, posting a school-record time of 49.48 seconds … Swam on both of the Grizzly Cubs’ state runner-up relays (200 and 400 freestyle) … Will swim at Franklin College.
Honorable mention
Collin Barton, Whiteland; Danny Carlson, Indian Creek; Barrett Daily, Franklin; Cody Hart, Indian Creek; Clay Key, Indian Creek; Nicholas Klenner, Whiteland; Ethan Pheifer, Franklin; Joe Sheets, Greenwood; Chase Smith, Indian Creek; Joey Smith, Indian Creek
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