Union Begins New Year with Seven Liberty League Honors

TROY, N.Y. –  Union College student-athletes began the New Year with a bang over the weekend, combining to earn seven Liberty League weekly awards and one honor roll spot between the swimming & diving and basketball groups for the week ending January 4, the convention workplace introduced on Monday afternoon.

Women’s Basketball Performer of the Week: Jelena Perovic
Perovic earns her second award of the season after pacing all gamers with 16 factors and 11 rebounds to guide Union to a 69-60 win over Rochester Institute of Technology to start out off the 2026 portion of the schedule on Saturday, hitting 8-of-14 pictures from the sector. The senior had 10 factors and 7 boards within the second half, during which the Garnet Chargers outscored the Tigers by 9 factors to tug away.

Men’s Swimming & Diving Swimmer of the Week: Drew Hill
Hill is acknowledged for the second time this 12 months after ending as Union’s high-point swimmer in Saturday’s meet towards Amherst College, totaling 12 factors. Hill received the 100 butterfly with a time of 51.96 and anchored the third-place 200 medley relay that completed in 1:39.73. He additionally positioned fourth within the 50 freestyle (22.55) and fifth within the 100 breaststroke (1:03.28). It was the primary time he has competed within the 100 breast since Jan. 22, 2023 and his 1:03.28 marked a lifetime finest.

Women’s Swimming & Diving Swimmer of the Week: Chloe Matthews
Matthews earned a trio of third-place finishes in Union’s meet towards #20 Amherst. Matthews positioned third within the 200 freestyle (2:03.34) with a private finest and third within the 200 particular person medley (2:18.73). Matthews additionally swam the second leg of the third-place 200 freestyle relay that completed in 1:45.09. She moreover competed within the 200 medley relay, swimming the butterfly leg in 26.25 (the third-fastest butterfly break up within the race) because the relay positioned sixth general.

Men’s Swimming & Diving Diver of the Week: Cole Pierson
Pierson earned eight factors for the Garnet Chargers with a pair of second-place performances off the 1-meter and 3-meter diving boards versus Amherst. He scored a 146.50 off the 1m board and a 166.95 of the 3m board with six dives every. 

Women’s Swimming & Diving Diver of the Week: Maggie Clifford
Clifford positioned fourth with 127.20 factors off the 1-meter board after six dives towards Amherst, marking her second-best efficiency off the 1m board in her collegiate profession.

Men’s Swimming & Diving Rookie of the Week: Troy Luley
Luley picks up his third weekly honor of 2025-26 after ending as Union’s highest-scoring first-year swimmer towards Amherst, ending with 9 factors. Luley positioned second within the 100 breaststroke (58.63) and added a third-place end within the 200 breaststroke (2:07.87). He additionally positioned sixth within the 200 particular person medley (2:05.31) and swam the breaststroke leg of the third-place 200 medley relay that completed in 1:39.73.

Women’s Swimming & Diving Rookie of the Week: Cate Kavanaugh
Kavanaugh led Union within the distance freestyle occasions throughout Saturday’s meet towards #20 Amherst and was the Garnet Chargers’ high-point swimmer. Kavanaugh positioned third in each the 1,000 freestyle (12:16.91) and the five hundred freestyle (5:51.41), and added a fifth-place end within the 200 particular person medley (2:32.24). She additionally led off Union’s 200 freestyle relay, which positioned sixth with a time of 1:56.70.

Honor Roll Mentions:

Men’s Basketball: Jack Plesser
Plesser scored a team-leading 18 factors and added six rebounds and 4 assists in Union’s 74-63 win over RIT on Saturday, serving to the workforce to its finest 10-game begin since 2012-13. The junior led all gamers with 14 factors within the first half of play, together with seven of the workforce’s remaining 9 factors because the guests jumped out to an eight-point halftime benefit.