The Hillsdale College women's swimming and diving team continues to excel in the pool, finishing in the top two at the G-MAC/MEC Championships for the fifth conseuctive season while sending two swimmers to the NCAA DII Championships in March.
The Chargers are also quite successful out of the pool as well, as this year's first-ever College Sports Communicators Academic All-District awards for women's swimming and diving shows.
Four Hillsdale swimmers -- Caroline Holmes, Phoebe Johnston, Elise Mason and Sydney Slepian -- received recognition from CSC as part of the Academic All-District program. In order to be considered for CSC Academic All-District honors, an athlete must be either a starter or a meaningful contributor, and carry a 3.5 or better cumulative GPA. All Academic All-District honorees are entered into consideration to receive prestigious Academic All-American honors from CSC later in mid-March, as voted on and selected by institution SIDs at the NCAA DII level.
This is the first season in the 71 year history of the program that collegiate men's and women's swimming and diving programs have been individually recognized by CSC -- previously, swimmers were considered in the "at-large" category for All-District and All-American honors.
All four swimmers were important contributors for the Chargers in the 2022-23 season, as well as excellent students in the classroom.
Mason, a sophomore, is a seven-time G-MAC/MEC Champion, a 2021-22 CSCAA Scholar All-American, and the 2021-22 G-MAC/MEC Swimmer and Freshman of the Year. She's qualified to swim in the NCAA DII Championships in the 1,650 freestyle in both of her years in college, while earning B-cut times in both the 500 and 1,000 freestyle as well.
Mason holds the Chargers program record in the 500 free and 1,650 free, as well as the G-MAC/MEC Meet record in the 1,650 free, and has never lost a 500, 1,000 or 1,650 free race at the G-MAC/MEC meet in her career, going a perfect 10/10 including prelims.
Holmes, a junior and Biochemistry major, is also a decorated performer for Hillsdale, winning four G-MAC/MEC titles and earning first-team All-G-MAC honors in all three seasons as a Charger. She's also an excellent student, having received the Grace Nichols Award from the Hillsdale College Spanish Department, earning membership in the American Chemical Society and Sigma Delta Phi Honorary, and serving as the Academics Director at Pi Beta Phi on the Hillsdale College campus.
Johnston, a junior and Economics major, has scored points at the G-MAC/MEC Championships in both 2021-22 and 2022-23 for the Chargers, and is an excellent student, earning membership in both the Eta Sigma Phi Classic Honorary and the Omicron Delta Epsilon Economics Honorary, while also serving as the Public Relations Director of the Praxis Economics Club and a Conservation Club member.
Slepian, a senior and Biology major, is a two-year team captain for the Chargers and a top notch student, serving as the Vice President of the Sigma Delta Pi Spanish Honorary at Hillsdale and the Treasurer of the Beta Beta Beta Biology Honorary. She's currently engaging in research on microbiology and bacterial strains that's funded in part by a LAUREATES scholarship.
As All-District honorees, all four athletes are under consideration for CoSIDA Academic All-American honors. Three teams All-Americans will be chosen from the All-District winners and the selections will be announced on March 20th.