Chargers dive off the block and into the water at their 2026 conference championship meet.
Courtesy | Hillsdale Athletic Department
Senior Rotem Andegeko swam with a torn ligament in her left knee for the entirety of the season to finish her collegiate career with personal bests in all four of her individual events, while the Hillsdale women’s swim team placed second at the Great Midwest-Mountain East Conference Championship held in Canton, Ohio, Feb. 10-13.
The Chargers finished with 1514 total points, behind champion Findlay University by 320 and ahead of third-place finisher Ashland University by 336 points.
Andegeko competed in seven separate events throughout the meet, dropping over a second in each personal time for the season. Freshman Sasha Babenko remarked on Andegeko’s last swim.
“She swam the 200 breaststroke so beautifully. Such a bittersweet moment for the whole team,” Babenko said.
During finals, Babenko finished first place in the 100 freestyle in 53.61 and the 200 freestyle in a personal best of 1:53.74. She also placed second in the 100 backstroke in 56.07 and the 200 backstroke in 2:02.37, earning her two Division II B-cut times.
JUMP
“I was really impressed with how the team carried themselves,” Babenko said. “When we lost, we handled it with grace. When we won, we handled it very humbly.”
Sophomore Ella Malone took fourth in the 100 butterfly finals with a time of 57.05 and fifth in the 100 backstroke finals in 57.72, both personal bests. She also swam butterfly for the 400 medley relay placing second in 3:52.26 and led off the second place 400 freestyle relay team coming in at 3:30.41.
“Over a four day meet, it is important to keep things in perspective,” Malone said. “I think a lot of people broke some thresholds and got past some points where they were stuck at a specific time, finally got some momentum, and started shaving time off races, which was a big deal.”
Head coach Kurt Kirner said the team performed well this meet in both spirit and achievement.
“Both the team’s membership and the energy was a substantial part of our success over the entire week,” Kirner said. “I am very proud of our chargers in this respect. We pretty much knew how the cards would be dealt as we were going in. However, we actually scored 100 points more than we did last year and I felt that was a great showing.”
Sophomore Ella Schafer placed third in the 100 freestyle finals in 52.60, third in the 200 freestyle finals in 1:52.90, and third in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:09.21. She anchored the 200 medley relay, swimming the 50 freestyle, touching the wall in third in 1:46.42 and led the 800 freestyle relay placing second in 7:35.81.
“This meet marked the end of the season for most of our team,” Schafer said. “I personally feel unfinished, but the Lord has a plan for me and I’m thrilled for what the next season may bring.”
Other top swims from Hillsdale include sophomore Matilyn Wilhelmsen’s second-place finish in prelims for the 500 freestyle with a season-best time of 5:06.96. Freshman Avery May took first place in the 500 freestyle in 5:01.28, second in the 1000 freestyle swim with a time of 10:32.29, the 1650 freestyle in 17:48.37, and in the 400 individual medley in 4:31.95.
Chargers Babenko, May, Schafer, and Willhelmsen hold DII B-cut times, giving them a chance to compete in the DII Championships taking place in Evansville, Indiana, March 10-14. Decisions regarding spots will be released on Feb. 25.
