Thanks to three conference championships and a school-record breaking performance, the Hillsdale College women's swimming and diving team holds the lead in the team race after Day 1 of the four-day G-MAC/MEC Championships at the C.T. Branin Natatorium on Wednesday.
The two-time defending meet champion Chargers left the first evening with a 436.5 to 381.5 lead over second-place Findlay, holding a narrow edge over their rivals in a solid first day for both teams.
Hillsdale had two swimmers win individual championships. Freshman Elise Mason took first in the 1,000 yard freestyle event, winning in 10:28.08, nearly five seconds ahead of the runner-up. Teammate Sarah Clark, a junior finished sixth as well for Hillsdale, in a season best time of 10:53.03, sophomore Sarah Pataniczek finished 13th (11:05.91), senior Anna Clark finished 15th (11:07.15), junior Anika Fassett placed 21st in a season best time (11:19.06) and senior Stefanie Walker finished 24th in a season best time (11:25.82).
The Chargers also got an event championship in the 50 yard freestyle, as junior Marie Taylor won her second conference title and her first in the 2022 edition of the meet with a lifetime-best time of 23.87. Taylor was the only competing swimmer to finish under 24 seconds in the event and her mark is a B-cut qualifying mark for the NCAA DII National Championships in March as well. Hillsdale had five swimmers place in the top eight in the 50 freestyle, with sophomore Cecilia Guadalupi taking fourth in a season best time (24.56), freshman Lily Golladay placing sixth in a lifetime best time (24.92), junior Sydney Slepian taking eighth (25.16) and senior Carissa Henderson finishing 16th in a time of 25.98 after tying for the final qualifying spot in the prelim and winning a swim off to reach the final.
In perhaps the most impressive finish of the night for the Chargers, Hillsdale's 200 freestyle relay team of Guadalupi, Golladay, junior Leah Tunney, and Taylor broke a school record in the event set in 2013, winning a conference title in a time of 1:35.64 and beating the runner-up team from Findlay by over a second.
The Chargers' 200 medley relay team of sophomore Caroline Holmes, freshman Emmalyse Dickhudt, senior Anna Clark and Guadalupi also took third, in 1:48.57, as well, and Hillsdale had five swimmers place in the 200 individual medley, with Guadalupi taking second in a season best time (2:08.13), freshman Joanna Burnham placing third in a lifetime best time (2:08.41), freshman Megan Clifford placing fifth in a season best time (2:09.15), Holmes placing sixth with a season best time in prelims (2:11.11, 2:09.47 prelims) and sophomore Amy Mills 14th with a season best time in prelims (2:16.93, 2:14.00 prelims).
There's still a long way to go in the meet, with action resuming on Thursday morning at 10 a.m. with preliminary heats in the 100 butterfly, 400 individual medley and 200 freestyle. The Chargers will look to maintain the strong start they're off to so far, and keep the Oilers and conference newcomer Ashland, currently in third, at bay.