Reporter autumn2010 -a - Franklin Alumni Network - Franklin College

season schedule, the Grizzlies were
undefeated in conference play and, as of
November, had advanced to the first
round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
“Maybe it’s luck. Maybe it’s just a better
feeling to be able to be like him. I don’t
know. But I know it makes my mother
happy. My family is proud. It’s a great
season so far,” Ray said.
Ray is working hard to make his senior
football season significant in tribute to his
father.
“He (Rob) used to talk about playing at
Franklin. Now I get that same opportunity.
How cool?”
Yes, it’s pretty cool. Ray is playing for
a division championship with the
understanding that taking his father with
him on every play is not just in his choice
of jersey, but with the man he has become.
“I hope our season honors him,”
Ray said.
Quarterback Kyle Ray ’11 began wearing
number 26 on his jersey this year to honor the
memory of his late father Robert “Rob” Ray ’80,
a former Grizzlies’ wide receiver who
sported the same number.
issue. The same was true for doubles
tennis, with both women paired with
other partners during their prep and
collegiate careers. Then and now, advice
is dispensed freely and friendly between
the pair.
“She (Schafer) has helped me a lot with
my serving,” Gott said. “She hits the ball
very hard, and she’s always giving me
pointers. We encourage each other and
cheer for each other a lot.”
There has been plenty to cheer about
during the past three years at Franklin
College.
Gott was 10-1 in singles and doubles in
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Association
play as a freshman and 13-6 in league
action as a sophomore. Last season she
teamed with Heather Pasek ’13 to win
No. 2 doubles at the HCAC Tournament.
Schafer was second in No. 2 doubles
and No. 3 doubles in the HCAC as a
freshman and has been named to the
all-conference teams her sophomore and
junior years.
Both women prepare just as hard for
the classroom as they do for the court.
Schafer is pursuing a degree in applied
mathematics with a psychology minor
and planning to attend graduate school,
which she hopes will help her land a
sports-related career. Gott also has
graduate work in mind and currently is
working toward a degree in chemistry
coupled with biology and biochemistry
minors.
“Since I enjoy tennis so much, I’ve
worked hard to keep up in my class work,”
Gott said. “Playing tennis has helped me
manage my priorities.”
After Schafer and Gott graduate in the
spring, head coach Rusty Hughes knows
the team will have some major leadership
roles to fill.
“They’re very supportive of each other;
they talk to each other in a way that they
don’t get offended,” Hughes said. “If one
of them wants to get on the other a little
bit, they always know they have each
other’s best interests at heart. They’re
both really talented. When they graduate,
it won’t just be a loss to Franklin College
and the women’s tennis team; Kayli and
Chelsy have both been of great service to
the community.”
This past summer, for example, Kayli
helped instruct some of the children’s
tennis clinics the college hosted.
“She is a great role model. The
parents liked her, and the kids loved
her,” Hughes said.
WWW.FRANKLINCOLLEGE.EDU AUTUMN 2010 47
PHOTO BY AARON HOMMELL ’11