Wabash College Athletics

Johnathan P. Turk, when you matriculated to Wabash from Carmel, Indiana, you followed in your brothers’ footsteps. Both Joe and Steve had impressive Wabash careers and left big shoes for you to fill. But by the time you graduated in 1993, you had left your own indelible mark on this school’s history.

You received an Honor Scholarship to attend Wabash and made the Dean’s List every semester as you defined an era of excellence in athletics and academics. Indeed, you were a star in the classroom, across campus, and in the pool. As a student, you were as involved as anyone: member of Beta Theta Pi, the Sphinx Club, Student Senate, WNDY, and Sports Editor of The Bachelor. You earned an impeccable 3.92 grade point average as an economics major and won the Paul T. Hurt Award for Freshman Achievement, the Indianapolis Alumni Association Scholar-Athlete Award, and the Wall Street Journal Award in Economics. You received distinction on your comprehensive exams, earned induction into Phi Beta Kappa, and gave the Commencement address for the Class of 1993.

In the pool, you swam on Wabash’s finest teams in history, including four straight undefeated squads that posted a combined 37-0 record, twice placed eighth at the NCAAs, and captured more than a dozen major invitational titles. As a senior captain, you led the team to championships at Little State, the DePauw Invitational, Indianapolis Invitational, Liberal Arts Invitational, and the Notre Dame Relays. That year you qualified for nationals in the 100 and 200 butterfly, finishing sixth in the latter, and you swam on four All-American relay teams, including three that set Wabash school records. The team’s 166 points at nationals are the most Wabash has ever scored at the championships. A three-time national qualifier, you were a four-time All-American and six-time Honorable Mention All-American. To cap your career, you were named a GTE/CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American and NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient.

You went on to earn your M.B.A. from Stanford University, and today you are the Vice President of Operations at SeaMicro in Palo Alto, California. The National Association of Wabash Men established this Hall of Fame to recognize the College’s finest athletes, but we’re proud to induct you for every aspect of your Wabash career — campus leadership, academic excellence, and athletic accomplishment. Johnathan P. Turk — Some Little Giant!