The Hillsdale College women's swimming and diving team has a legacy of success in and out of the pool, and two members of the 2025-26 Chargers squad furthered that legacy with their achievements this past season.

Freshman Avery May and sophomore Ella Schafer both were named Scholar All-Americans by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) earlier this month, earning second-team honors. Both are first-time winners of the award.

To earn first team Scholar All-America honors from the CSCAA, student-athletes must earn a minimum GPA of 3.5 and compete in their division's national championship. Additionally, athletes who carry a 3.5 or higher GPA and achieve a "B" time standard for consideration for the national meet are eligible for second team Scholar All-America honors.

May had a stellar first year for the Chargers, posting NCAA DII B-cut times in both the 400 individual medley and the 500 freestyle, while swimming the second-fastest time in Hillsdale history in those two events. She also swam a top-10 time all-time in Hillsdale history in the 1,000 freestyle. May also was first-team All-G-MAC honoree and a major point scorer for the Chargers at the G-MAC/MEC Championships with four individual runner-up finishes in her signature events, and also swam a leg school record-setting relays in the 400 freestyle and 200 medley as well. 

Schafer, meanwhile, continued to excel for the Chargers in her second season, hitting a B-cut time in the 200 freestyle, an event she holds the Hillsdale College record in. She also played a major role in Hillsdale's runner-up finish at the G-MAC/MEC Championships, swimming in the maximum seven events with four relay finishes of third or better and top-three finishes in the 200 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 100 IM. Along with her school record in the 200 freestyle, Schafer has three other top 10 times all-time in Hillsdale College history in various events.

Both athletes are elite students, with May posting one of the team's highest GPAs for her freshman year, and Schafer earning CSC Academic All-District honors in women's swimming and women's track and field as a two-sport athlete as well.

May and Schafer are part of a strong foundation for the Hillsdale College women's swim team as it heads into the 2026-27 season looking to contend for a G-MAC/MEC crown. The Chargers will begin competition in October.