April 13, 2018 at 1:20 p.m.
Franson going D-I to run at UW-Milwaukee
Franson going D-I to run at UW-Milwaukee
Franson signed a National Letter of Intent Wednesday to run women's cross country and track at the University of Wisconsin-
Milwaukee, earning a full scholarship offer from the NCAA Division-I school.
There was a large crowd on hand at in the Superior Diesel Advanced Learning center as Franson made official her commitment. There were teammates, coaches and parents in attendance. Even Rhinelander Mayor-elect Chris Frederickson was present, having previously coached Franson in the youth soccer ranks. It was fitting as Franson said their support helped her thrive as a multi-sport athlete at RHS.
"The support here is huge. I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without all of you," she said in her remarks to the crowd. "You guys have really pushed me throughout the years. My coaches, they've really believed in me throughout the years. I really wouldn't have been able to do the things I've been able to do without the support from all of you - my teachers, my coaches, the mayor (elect). You guys have really believed in me even when I couldn't believe in myself. It's just really cool to have the support system that I do have. I just want to thank everyone, especially my parents (Kyle and Amy) who have been there for me after every single workout, every single night. When I just want to give up, they're always there encouraging me to keep pushing myself and want me to be the best I can be."
Franson's accomplishments are numerous, having earned Great Northern Conference player of the year honors in three different sports during her time at RHS, and all-conference honors in a fourth.
Franson was the GNC's female runner of the year in track and field in 2016, despite running a limited schedule, after winning titles in the 1,600 meters, the 3,200 meters and the 4x800 relay at the GNC Outdoor meet. She backed that up with a cross country conference championship performance that fall and never placed lower than second in the GNC cross country meet during her four-year career.
Franson qualified for the WIAA state meet three times, placing 49th in Division 1 as a freshman, 14th in D2 as a junior and 11th in D2 as a senior.
Franson is also the reigning conference offensive player of the year in girls' soccer, however she said as soon as she qualified for the state cross country meet as a freshman, she knew the path she wanted to take collegiately.
"It was kind of the first time I really accomplished something on my own and I knew I worked really hard for that moment and I truly loved the sport," she said. "I knew that I would never get sick of this sport. It's something I wanted to do for a long time and I knew that I haven't reached my potential yet and it's something that I could excel at and have fun at, at the same time."
While Franson thanked those who supported her along the way, her coaches deflected credit, instead attributing Franson's success to her work ethic and attitude.
"Her work ethic is unbelievable," said Brittany Haakenson, who worked closely with Franson during her time in cross country and track. "I mean this girl is out there running and working her butt off to compete at a very high level and she deserves to be going to a great school like UW-Milwaukee. I wish her the best."
Girls' soccer coach Dan Millot called Franson both a coach's dream and a virtual lock for future enshrinement into the Hodag Hall of Fame, citing her work ethic, coachability and self-motivation.
"She's going to do extremely well and I think she's going to represent herself, her family and the community from Rhinelander extremely well," he said.
Her coaches applauded her for her dedication as a multi-sport athlete.
"Most people think if you're in Division I you have to specialize and, for a while there, you were trying to do four sports," said RHS girls' basketball coach Ryan Clark, who coached Franson as a junior and a senior. "Right there, that's huge accomplishment to reach the highest level for a collegiate sport and still play three sports in high school."
Franson admitted juggling three, sometimes four, sports in a school year was challenging, but rewarding at the same time.
"It was really hard because if I wanted to excel at one sport, I definitely couldn't at times because I was focused on another sport," she said. "When it came to cross country season, I wasn't taking advantage of the time I could have been running but, overall, I'm really thankful for the opportunity because all the sports have given me so much I could take away from it. Overall, it's been a great experience and I'm happy that I didn't focus on one sport throughout high school."
Franson said the recruiting process included a number of schools, running the gamut from Division I to Division III. Milwaukee's offer was the best on the table, but Franson said she would have gladly walked on if she had to because of the chemistry of the athletes on the Panthers' squad.
"I really didn't see that in any of the other schools that I visited," she said of a roster comprised almost entirely of Wisconsin natives. "A lot of them have raced against each other (in high school). I know a couple of the people already, which is really nice. Overall, the atmosphere when I watched the practices or watched them just converse in the rooms, they were so close to each other it was really cool to see and I knew I wanted to be a part of that."
Franson is the third Rhinelander female student-athlete is as many years to go on to play collegiately at the Division-I level, joining Katie Detert (hockey, St. CloudâState University) and Kiah Francis (swimming, Liberty University).
The UW-Milwaukee women finished third in the at the Horizon League championship last fall and placed 23rd in the 31-team the NCAA Great Lakes Regional meet. The team was led by sophomore Mikayla Fox who placed sixth in the Horizon League Championships.
Franson said she looks forward to the challenge of trying to improve and cracking the Panthers' top seven. Her personal-best time for a 5K is a 19:18 set after the high school season at the Nike Cross Heartland regionals last November in South Dakota. Twelve members of UW-M's team posted times faster than that in the three 5K races the team competed in this season.
"I'd definitely like to PR as a freshman," she said. "Honestly, I just want to work on getting better and improving my times as much as possible and not worry as much about placing. I think I'll develop more as the years go on.
"It's a goal of mine to be known and be toward the top of the pack, if not my freshman year, by my sophomore year, that would be a pretty big goal of mine."
Franson said she attends to study health sciences at UW-M with an eye toward a career in occupational therapy.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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