Babenko named Freshman of the Year; two Chargers earn All-G-MAC honors

2025-26 G-MAC Swimming and Diving Awards

A younger Hillsdale College girls’s swimming and diving squad made waves within the 2025-26 season, with a runner-up end on the G-MAC/MEC Championships in February, and that youth was well-rewarded within the G-MAC’s launch of postseason awards this Friday afternoon.

Hillsdale freshman Sasha Babenko was named the G-MAC’s Freshman of the Year for girls’s swimming in addition to incomes first-team All-G-MAC honors. Babenko made a right away affect on the Chargers, rewriting Hillsdale’s faculty information in each the 100 backstroke (56.07) and 200 backstroke (2:02.37) whereas attaining NCAA B-cut instances in each occasions in her first collegiate season. Babenko additionally was part of two record-setting relays for Hillsdale, swimming legs on a 400 freestyle relay (3:29.24) that broke this system report, and a 200 medley relay (1:44.82) that additionally set a brand new finest mark in Hillsdale historical past.

Along together with her new faculty information, Babenko additionally posted prime 5 all-time Hillsdale marks within the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle, in addition to the 100 butterfly and 200 particular person medley in her first collegiate season. She continues a storied custom of Chargers successful the G-MAC Freshman of the Year award, as six of the 9 winners since Hillsdale joined the G-MAC in 2017 have come from the Chargers squad, together with Babkeno’s teammate Matilyn Wilhelmsen, who gained the award final 12 months.

One of Babenko’s hardest opponents for Freshman of the Year honors was her personal teammate, Avery May, who additionally had a primary season to recollect at Hillsdale and in addition earned first workforce All-G-MAC honors.

May had an analogous affect as Babenko for the Chargers within the distance races, posting B-cut instances and the second quickest marks in Hillsdale historical past in each the 400 particular person medley and the five hundred freestyle, whereas additionally incomes a spot in Hillsdale’s all-time prime 10 within the 1,000 freestyle. She was a serious level scorer for the Chargers on the G-MAC/MEC Championships with 4 particular person runner-up finishes in her signature occasions, and in addition swam a leg on each faculty record-setting relays within the 400 freestyle and 200 medley alongside Babenko. 

Both athletes determine to be key contributors for the Chargers and contenders for G-MAC honors for years to come back. The pair got here extraordinarily near competing on the NCAA DII National Championships as freshmen, lacking the lower by simply a few locations of their finest occasions, and determine to be robust contenders to take the subsequent step and attain the top of their sport on the NCAA DII stage as sophomores within the 2026-27 season to come back.