Crawfordsville seniors Abby Bannon and Lauren Kellerman enjoyed a lot of success as Athenian athletes.
Kellerman helped the Crawfordsville cross country team have county dominance for three years, before joining Bannon on the volleyball court last fall, helping the Athenians to a winning season. This winter she eclipsed the 1,000-point barrier in basketball.
Bannon not only shined in volleyball, but was a top swimmer in the pool for the Athenians.
Both hoped to elevate the Crawfordsville softball team this spring, but got their high school athletic careers cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Initially I was in disbelief,” Kellerman said. “I had been preparing myself for something like this to happen after more and more schools started shutting down, but I never really thought it would come to this point. As time passes on, it starts to hit you more though. It brings a bad feeling to my gut knowing that I experienced all of my ‘lasts’ my junior year and I had no idea.”
For Bannon, she was excited about the opportunity to be a leader not just on the diamond, but for the Athenian track and field team as well.
“Definitely being able to lead my team,” she said. “Specifically from a senior position. We were also looking at some very potentially successful seasons (in both softball and track) so that was exciting.”
Bannon did say her successful senior seasons in volleyball and swimming helped relieve the disappointment.
“It helps because I had a lot of great opportunities and fun times during those seasons, but hurts because I wish I would’ve been more thankful for them and not taken them for granted.”
Last season Kellerman came up just short as the state leader in hits, and says she used the entire offseason as motivation to work toward her final season.
“I was excited to bring my experience into my senior season. I figured that we would have a successful year because many of our key players from last year are bringing in more experience that they didn’t have their underclassman seasons,” she said. “The addition of new players to the roster is also exciting. The improvement from myself and my teammates was going to be driving factor in my goal of being the leading hitter in the state.”
Bannon is headed to Belmont University in Nashville this fall, while Kellerman is currently undecided on a college and if she will continue her athletic career.
There will be no final senior night for Bannon and Kellerman, but there’s no doubt they left their mark on the Athenian athletic program as a pair of special athletes.
