It's been a trying start to the season for the Hillsdale College women's swimming team, as injuries have made it hard for the Chargers to open the season strong.
But Hillsdale has pushed through, and in their final event of 2022, their perseverance and diligence paid off in a big way in the Davenport Invitational.
Against a field that included multiple nationally ranked NCAA DII and NAIA programs, the Chargers took an impressive third, breaking multiple school records and posting five B-cut NCAA qualifying times along the way.
Leading the way for the Chargers were two veteran swimmers that each won multiple events against tough competition.
Senior Marie Taylor dominated the sprint races, taking first in both the 50 yard freestyle (23.84) and 100 freestyle (52.13) while posting B-cut national qualifying times in both events. Those times will give Taylor a chance to make the NCAA DII National Championship meet at the end of the season, scheduled to take place in Indianapolis, Indiana from March 8 to 11.
Joining Taylor as a multi-event winner was sophomore Megan Clifford, who posted one of the most impressive individual swims in Charger history in the 200 butterfly this weekend. Clifford won the race by seven full seconds, finishing in a time of 2:03.01 that not only was a NCAA B-cut time but also broke the G-MAC record in the event, as well as the Hillsdale College record set by All-American Linda Okonkowski in 2012. Clifford also won the 100 fly in 57.24, and also finishing seventh in the 200 freestyle (1:56.26).
Taylor and Clifford also joined forces on a victorious and school-record setting relay, swimming the final two legs of the 400 medley relay with teammates Caroline Holmes and Joanna Burnham that took first in 3:50.00 and beat the old program record set in 2019 by over a second.
The pair also teamed with Holmes and Julianna Weir on a third-place 400 freestyle relay (3:33.46), and with Leah Tunney and Elise Mason on a runner-up 800 freestyle relay (7:40.69), while Taylor swam with Lily Golladay, Weir and Tunney on a third-place 200 freestyle relay (1:37.23) and Clifford swam with Tunney, Burnham, and Weir on a fourth-place 200 medley relay (1:47.63) as well.
Also setting B-cut marks to put herself in contention for an NCAA Championships berth was Mason, a sophomore who competed in the 2022 NCAA Championships last winter. Mason took third in the 1,650 freestyle with a time of 17:13.20, not only reaching a B-cut mark in that event but also making a B-cut time in the 1,000 freestyle through her split in the 1,650, which was fast enough to stand as a mark for that race as well. Mason also placed fifth in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:04.95, and seventh in the 400 individual medley (4:41.69).
Burnham also had an impressive individual day for the Chargers. Along with her relay success, the sophomore took third in the 200 butterfly (2:10.24), third in the 200 IM (2:08.33), third in the 400 IM (4:32.88) and fifth in the 200 breaststroke (2:25.08), all competitive finishes against tough fields.
Tunney placed third in the 200 backstroke (2:06.14) for the Chargers, just ahead of Holmes in fifth place (2:07.48), while Holmes took fifth in the 100 backstroke (59.00) and Tunney sixth (59.18) for Hillsdale. Holmes also placed sixth in the 200 freestyle (1:55.73).
Sophomore Emmalyse Dickhudt also had a strong showing in the breaststroke for Hillsdale, placing sixth in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.55) and seventh in the 200 breaststroke (2:26.88).
Down the lineup, several other Hillsdale College swimmers posted season or personal bests to finish 2022 on a high note.
This weekend's showing was a great way for the Chargers to head into training over the winter break, with several Hillsdale swimmers now in contention for spots in the NCAA Championships if they can return and go even faster in the spring. Hillsdale will look for big improvements in the pool over the next month and a half before returning to action on January 14 against Ashland and Saginaw Valley State for a road double-dual.