Saturday
Elise Mason saved her best race and her top finish for last at the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina. The freshman swimmer for the Hillsdale College women's team finished twenty-first, her highest place in all three races she competed in, in the 1,650 freestyle on Saturday.
Mason entered the meet seeded twenty-second with a time of 17:11.51, the school and GMAC conference record. The freshman finished eight seconds slower, in 17:20.16, but moved up a spot in the final standings by staying strong in the race and moving past other swimmers who faltered. Mason was out in 5:08.47 for her first 500 and 10:24.62 at the 1000, holding 31.0 - 32.0 per 50 yards.
The experience of competing at the national meet will serve Mason well for the rest of her career at Hillsdale, as she'll have three more seasons of eligibility to build off her performance this season that saw her break two school records, be named G-MAC/MEC Freshman of the Meet and become the first Charger swimmer to reach the NCAA Division II Championships since 2018-10.
Friday
On day three of the NCAA DII National Championships, Hillsdale College women's swimming and diving freshman Elise Mason competed in the second of her three events this weekend, the 500 freestyle.
Mason was seeded 36th with a time of 5:01.19 and finished 40th in the nation in Division II with a time of 5:06.12. Mason held 30.5 - 31.7 per 50 during the majority of the race and her first 100 was out in 57.07, and 1:58.19 the first 200.
The freshman concludes her NCAA Championships on Saturday morning, competing in the 1,650 freestyle during the early session that begins at 10 a.m. She is currently seeded twenty-second with a time of 17:11.51, and will be looking to try and move up into contention for one of the 16 All-American spots in the event.
Wednesday
Freshman Elise Mason, the Hillsdale College women's swimming and diving team's only competitor at the 2022 NCAA DII National Championships held in Greensboro, North Carolina, completed the first day of a three-day, three-event showcase on the national stage on Wednesday.
In her first event at the National Championships, Mason competed in the 1,000 freestyle and bettered her seed by two places, finishing 33rd in the nation in the event. Her final time was 10:26.34, a 4.60 second add from her entry time. For the majority of her race she was holding between 31.6 - 32.0 for her 50 splits and a 5:06.98 at the 500. She finished third in her heat.
Mason's next event is the 500 freestyle on Friday morning. She is currently seeded thirty-seventh with a time of 5:01.17 and holds the Hillsdale College school record in the event.
Written By Zoe Tracey
Photo Courtesy of Malone Athletics