Two of the most decorated swimmers in Hillsdale College history saw their careers come to a close on Saturday at the 2025 NCAA DII Championships.

Seniors Elise Mason and Megan Clifford each swam their final event at the championship meet, hosted at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Indiana, bringing to a close two careers that combined for four All-American honors, five individual school records and 16 G-MAC/MEC Championships over four years in the pool for the Chargers.

Mason, a 2022 All-American and a 13-time G-MAC/MEC Champion, took 21st in the nation in the 1,650 freestyle with a time of 17:13.05. It was Mason's fourth national meet appearance, as she raced at the NCAA DII Championships every year of her collegiate career. The senior will depart with school records in the 500 freestyle, 1,000 freestyle and 1,650 freestyle and as the most decorated Hillsdale College swimmer at the conference level in program history.

Clifford, meanwhile, fresh off her unprecedented third-straight All-American honor in the 200 butterfly on Saturday, took 55th in the nation in the 100 freestyle with a time of 52.30. As the only swimmer in program history to earn an All-American honor in three consecutive seasons, the senior holds a special place in Chargers history, and she'll graduate with the school records in both the 100 and 200 butterfly, as well as four G-MAC/MEC Championships.

Both swimmers will be missed greatly for the Chargers, who will look to reload next year with a new generation of talented swimmers, led by a strong junior class and a talented group of sophomores, headlined by G-MAC/MEC Champion Ella Schafer, and Matilyn Wilhelmsen, both of whom had NCAA DII B-cut times as freshmen this past season.

Photo by James Gensterblum