The Hillsdale College women's swimming and diving team had a successful final tune-up this weekend leading into the G-MAC/MEC Championships, competing in the Point Invite hosted by Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
While the Chargers only competed in one day of the two-day event, swimming on Friday, Hillsdale had an excellent showing, scoring the most points of any of the four teams competing on that day, and winning five of the nine contested women's events.
Leading the way for the Chargers was sophomore Elise Mason, who turned in one of the best swims of her season to date in winning the 500 yd freestyle on Friday, in 5:03.95, and looking the part of a favorite to take home multiple titles at the upcoming G-MAC/MEC Championships. Teammate Amy Mills finished third in 5:32.11 to give the Chargers another top finisher in the race.
The defending G-MAC swimmer of the week, Joanna Burnham, also won an event for the Chargers, taking first in the 200 breaststroke (2:32.32) and also placed second in the 200 IM (2:12.61), behind teammate Caroline Holmes, who won the event in an impressive time of 2:09.39. Holmes' time was not only a new personal best in the event but makes her the seventh-fastest swimmer in the event in Chargers swimming history.
Senior Madison Pyhel led a 1-2-3 finish for the Chargers in the 200 butterfly, winning in 2:12.76, ahead of teammates Sarah Clark in second (2:16.50) and Anika Fassett in third (2:20.32).
The Chargers also won the 400 medley relay in a time of 4:02.54, with a team of Holmes, Burnham, Megan Clifford and Marie Taylor, and Clifford also took runner-up in the 100 freestyle (54.81) as well.
Hillsdale opened the event with a third-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay, with a team of Taylor, Leah Tunney, Julianna Weir and Clifford, in 1:40.28.
The Chargers now turn their focus to Feb. 7-10 in Canton, Ohio and the four-day G-MAC/MEC Championships. Hillsdale has captured the last three titles and will be looking to make it an unprecedented fourth this year, but will get a stiff challenge from rival Findlay, the runner-up each of the last three seasons and the team other than Hillsdale to win the title most recently, in 2019.