Youth played a big part for the Hillsdale College women's swimming and diving team at the season-opening Oberlin Early Invite on Friday and Saturday in Ohio.

The Chargers took third as a team, with several strong finishes, including first place marks from two freshmen in the meet.

Leading the Chargers was freshman Avery May, who shined in her debut meet. May won the 500 freestyle in 5:12.54 and also took first in the 400 individual medley in 4:40.32, along with a runner-up finish in the 1,650 freestyle (18:09.90) and a sixth-place finish in the 50 free (25.08). May also swam legs on a variety of relays for the Chargers, teaming with fellow freshmen Sasha Babenko and Katie Potwardowski and junior Inez McNichols to place runner-up in the 400 medley relay (4:01.06), with Babenko, Potwardowski and sophomore Ella Malone on the runner-up 200 medley relay (1:49.60), and with Malone, Babenko and junior Alyson Early in the third-place 200 freestyle relay (1:40.59) and the third-place 400 freestyle relay (3:43.65).

Potwardowski also reached the top of the podium in her debut meet for the Chargers, winning the 100 breaststroke in 1:09.29. The freshman from Carlsbad, California also took runner-up in the 200 IM in 2:16.27 and sixth in the 200 breaststroke in 2:35.46.

Babenko was another impressive freshman for the Chargers, taking runner-up in the 200 backstroke (2:08.50), fourth in both the 50 free (24.94) and the 100 backstroke (1:00.09) and fifth in the 100 butterfly (1:00.56) in addition to her relay work.

Early picked up a runner-up finish for the Chargers in 2:00.14 in an impressive race, and along with her other two relay finishes also teamed with McNichols, junior Isabel Ondracek and freshman Rylee Harris to place third in the 800 free relay in 8:20.99.

Fellow junior Lauren Kamp placed fourth in the 200 breaststroke (2:33.14) and fifth in the 100 breaststroke (1:10.64) for the Chargers, and sophomore Yvonne Botha took fourth in the 200 backstroke (2:16.51), fifth in the 200 breaststroke (2:34.66) and seventh in the 100 backstroke (1:02.71) as well.

Ondracek added a pair of fifth place finishes in distance races for the Chargers, in the 500 freestyle (5:28.72) and the 1,650 free (19:04.58), while McNichols placed fifth in the 200 butterfly (2:17.48) and eighth in the 200 IM (2:17.37) in addition to her relay work as well for Hillsdale.

Malone, a sophomore, took sixth in the 100 backstroke (1:02.48) and seventh in 100 butterfly (1:00.71) and in the 200 butterfly (2:21.61) as well for Hillsdale, and junior Irene del Castro placed sixth in the 1,650 freestyle (19:16.14).

Three more freshmen saw their first action for the Chargers this weekend. Rylee Harris took seventh in the 200 freestyle (2:02.87) and eighth in the 100 freestyle (56.20) for Hillsdale, Sasha Alles placed seventh in the 200 backstroke in 2:21.59, and Aine Maloney took seventh in the 100 breaststroke (1:12.48) and eighth in the 200 breaststroke (2:38.63) for the Chargers.

Hillsdale's next action is in two weekends, when Hillsdale heads south to Elkhart, Indiana for the Bethel Invitational on Oct. 25.