The runner-up team at the 2024 G-MAC/MEC Championships this past weekend, the Hillsdale College swimming and diving team also brought home its fair share of hardware as a result.
In keeping with Hillsdale's strength in the distance freestyle events, the Chargers' top two performers in those races each won one of the four major individual awards handed out to women's swimming and diving athletes at the conclusion of the meet.
Junior Elise Mason was named co-2024 G-MAC/MEC Swimmer of the Meet, adding to a long list of hardware the junior has captured in three seasons at Hillsdale. The 2021-22 G-MAC Freshman of the Meet and Swimmer of the Year, Mason also earned All-American honors in the 1,650 freestyle at the 2023 NCAA DII Championships last March as a sophomore.
At the 2024 G-MAC/MEC Championships, Mason completed a trio of three-peats, winning conference titles in the 500 freestyle, 1,000 freestyle and 1,650 freestyle for the third straight season. The junior has never lost a distance freestyle race of any kind in a G-MAC/MEC Championship meet, and will return in 2025 looking to cap her career by sweeping the titles again. Mason also earned runner-up honors at the 2024 G-MAC/MEC Championships in the 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay, and 800 freestyle relays, swimming legs on those relay teams for the Chargers, and also took fourth in the 400 individual medley for Hillsdale.
Along with Mason's excellence, Hillsdale also got an impressive showing from freshman Isabel Ondracek, who finished close behind Mason in all three of the distance events to earn the 2024 G-MAC/MEC Freshman of the Meet award. Ondracek earned a runner-up finish and a NCAA B-cut time in the 500 freestyle in 5:04.32, while also taking third in the 1,650 freestyle (17:41.73), fourth in the 1,000 freestyle (10:34.36) and eighth in the 200 freestyle (1:55.65). In receiving Freshman of the Meet honors, Ondracek joins a long list of past Chargers greats who won the award, including Katherine Heeres, Leah Tunney, Cecilia Guadalupi and Mason herself.
Ondracek was part of a strong showing by Hillsdale's impressive freshman class, which had six different swimmers reach the A final in at least one event during last week's championship meet, the largest number by a Hillsdale freshman class since 2020. It's a finish that bodes well for the future for the Chargers in years to come.
Hillsdale now waits to see which of its swimmers will earn a berth to the NCAA DII Championships at the Spire Institute in Ohio in mid-March. The field for the 2024 Championships will be announced on Feb. 28.
Photos by Andy Smith, Malone Athletics