There's turnover in the Hillsdale College women's swimming and diving program, as a large senior class departs after the most successful four-year run in program history.
To keep that run going, the Chargers are bringing in a large incoming class this fall, with seven freshman and a transfer from another NCAA DII institution, to help deepen the talent pool around returning All-Americans Megan Clifford and Elise Mason. Hillsdale went across the nation and even across the globe to assemble a class filled with talent that should make an instant impact for the Chargers in the 2023-24 season.
Irene del Castro (Gijon, Asturias, Spain/IES Universidad Laboral) competes in the backstroke and comes to Hillsdale as a freshman after a strong career overseas. Del Castro has competed in 10 Spanish national championships since 2018, reaching the finals in her signature event, the 200m backstroke, three times in that span while helping her juniors team earn promotion to the top national division in 2021. She's also a strong student, earning honors with strong GPAs throughout her time in the Spanish school system.
Alyson Early (Billings, Montana/Billings Central Catholic) is a strong swimmer in both the freestyle and backstroke and also competes in individual medleys. One of the top prep swimmers in the state of Montana, Alyson led Central Catholic to four straight Class A team state championships while winning individual titles in both the 100 and 200 yd freestyle for three straight seasons. She also helped her club team win four total state titles in the last four years, while also win Long Course state championships in the 100 free, 200 free and 100 backstroke. A solid student, Alyson was a member of the National Honor Society and made the President's Honor Roll at Central Catholic in 2022.
Lauren Kamp (Birmingham, Michigan/Wylie E. Groves) swims the breaststroke and IM and is a talented local prospect from metro Detroit, a recruiting area where Hillsdale has struck gold multiple times in recent years. A 2022 team captain, Kamp swam at the MHSAA D2 state finals in the 200 yd medley relay, the 200 freestyle relay and the 100 breaststroke for the Falcons, earning the Valade-Rustoni Swim Award and Academic All-State honors in both swimming and water polo. Kamp also swam in club action for Birmingham Bloomfield Atlantis.
Olivia Leathers (Valencia, California/Trinity Classical Academy) swims sprint freestyle and butterfly and joins the Chargers from the west coast, where she was Team MVP three straight seasons and league MVP twice, as well as her school's Female Athlete of the Year. Leathers also is a smart student who is a CSF Scholar and earned membership in the National Honor Society, becoming president of the chapter at Trinity Classical.
Callie Lucero (Scottsdale, Arizona/Veritas Preparatory Academy) swims the butterfly and the freestyle and comes to Hillsdale after a decorated prep career in Arizona. Lucero was team MVP at Veritas for three consecutive season and an Arizona Division III state champion in the 100 butterfly in 2021, while also earning runner-up honors in the 200 freestyle in 2021 and a third place finish in the 100 butterfly in 2022. Lucero also competed in club swimming with the Desert Thunder Aquatics Club, Phoenix Swim Club and JForce Swim team, and is a solid student who made the Sports360AZ All-Academic Fall Sports Team and received a scholar award from the National Hispanic Recognition Program.
Inez McNichols (Alexandria, Virginia/Georgetown Visitation Prep) competes in the butterfly and is a strong competitor from the DC/Maryland/Virginia metro area. As captain of the Georgetown Visitation swim team, McNichols won the 2023 WMPSSDL and DC States titles in the 100 butterfly, and was a Metros Finalist in the event in 2020, 2022 and 2023, as well as a member of the York Swim Club National team. A talented student, McNichols is a member of the National Spanish Honor Society, and earned Gold Level recognition on the National Spanish Exam.
Isabel Ondracek (Savage, Minnesota/Prior Lake) is a distance freestyle swimmer who had a solid prep career in the state of Minnesota, earning All-Conference honors every year of high school and serving as the team captain as a senior. Isabel was her school's valedictorian and a board scholar for three years, and also earned membership in both the National Honor Society and the National Business Honor Society, while serving as her school's NBHS secretary as a senior.
Lucia Ruchti (Nairobi, Kenya/German School Nairobi) is a transfer from Lees-McRae in North Carolina, who comes to Hillsdale with two years of eligibility remaining. The sprint freestyler was an important contributor for the Bobcats, finishing third in both the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle in last year's Conference Carolinas Swmming Championships, and also swimming on record-setting 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay teams for Lees-McRae. Prior to her time at Lees-McRae, Lucia was a strong competitor for Otters Swimming Club in her home country of Kenya, and has represented her home country in multiple national and international meets over the years.
Hillsdale's women's swimming and diving team will be looking to get back to the top in the G-MAC/MEC Championships this season after a runner-up finish last year ended a streak of three straight conference titles, and also will look for more success at the 2024 NCAA DII Championships after multiple All-American finishes for the first time in 2023. Competition for the Chargers will begin in October – stay tuned to hillsdalechargers.com for more details as the schedule is released later in the fall.