Neighbors in the News: Spring Grove swimmer now a Junior National Champion

• Spring Grove resident Eleni Gewalt, a Pleasant Prairie (Wisconsin) Patriots Swim team member is now a Junior National Champion after winning the 50 meter breaststroke in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 13.

Gewalt does her club swimming at the Pleasant Prairie RecPlex with the Pleasant Prairie Patriots (PX3), a team that emerged in 2011, originally known as the Kenosha Barracudas.

"I want to congratulate Eleni on this achievement and applaud her for the time, focus and dedication needed to be a high-level achiever on the national stage," said Steve Frye, PX3 head coach/CEO and RecPlex Aquatics manager.

PX3 is coming off back-to-back Division 2 Wisconsin State Championship titles and had swimmers compete at the Olympic and Paralympic Trials in 2021.

• Congratulations to DePaul University undergraduate Olivia Tegge of Geneva, this year's recipient of the Iowa United Scholarship for Criminal & Social Justice Reform.

Tegge majors in environmental studies, with a double-minor in Spanish and public policy.

In the spring of 2021, Tegge took a class entitled "Urban Poverty" that required 25 hours of social service. Her social service landed her at Midwest Books 2 Prisoners, where she became engrossed in the mission of supporting people in prisons across the United States with books, collect phone calls, letters of friendship and occasional prison visits.

Tegge became a regular volunteer at Midwest Books 2 Prisoners, bringing her family members and friends to the mission as well.

• Alex Tomy, a senior at Maine East High School, finished second in the nation in the Adobe 2021 Certified Associate U.S. National Online Championships. More than 40,000 applicants of all ages competed in the contest.

Tomy, who was recently certified in Photoshop as part of his design class at Maine East, entered the contest at the urging of his teacher Drew Schneider. Schneider encourages all his students to earn certifications and try new things as part of his class Advanced Graphic Arts.

Tomy won a $1,500 cash prize, a medal and a Wacom tablet. He will now compete in the International Championships in November. The contest will include designing a poster for a nonprofit.

• Submit 'Neighbor in the News' items to ntwohey@dailyherald.com.