The Hillsdale College women's swimming and diving team has plenty to build on as it enters the 2026-27 campaign.

All but one swimmer returns from a 2025-26 squad that earned runner-up honors at the 2026 G-MAC/MEC Championships, and with several decorated veterans back, Hillsdale hopes to challenge defending champion Findlay for its first G-MAC/MEC crown since 2022 and also send a large contingent to the NCAA DII Championships in March.

Hillsdale returns some of the fastest swimmers in program history to this year's squad, including four swimmers who earned NCAA B-cut times in 2025-26 -- juniors Ella Schafer and Matilyn Wilhelmsen and sophomores Sasha Babenko and Avery May. Babenko was named the G-MAC Freshman of the Year in 2025-26, setting program records in the 100 and 200 backstroke, as well as five more top 10 all-time marks in Chargers history in other events. She was one of the fastest swimmers not in the 2026 NCAA DII Championship field in the 100 backstroke and will be motivated to earn a spot in the final this season.

May, meanwhile, also earned first-team All-G-MAC honors and was arguably Babenko's closest competition for the conference freshman of the year award. She swam the second-fastest marks in Hillsdale history in the 400 individual medley and 500 freestyle, earning B-cut times in both, and also came close to qualifying for the NCAA DII Championships as a freshman. Both Babenko and May also teamed up to help break Hillsdale records in the 400 freestyle and 200 medley relay.

Schafer, meanwhile, continues to be one of the top sprint freestylers in the conference, earning a B-cut time for the second-straight year in her signature event, the 200 freestyle, while Wilhelmsen overcame injuries to place well for the Chargers at the G-MAC/MEC Championships and could be in line for a breakout year in 2026-27 if she can stay fully healthy for the campaign.

Hillsdale also has enviable depth, as sophomores Rylee Harris and Kate Potwardowski also had multiple high scoring finishes for the Chargers at the G-MAC/MEC Championships last year, while junior Ella Malone and seniors Isabel Ondracek, Alyson Early and Lauren Kamp all have been consistent and major scoring contributors throughout their careers at Hillsdale to head a strong lineup.

All told, 16 of 17 athletes return for the Chargers in 2026-27, and they're bolstered by a freshman class that should contribute immediately. Backstroker and sprint freestyler Cali Kissel arrives at Hillsdale already swimming times that would have earned a B-cut last season if they'd been done collegiately, while Haven Ferguson, Isavella Stergiou and Campbell Witte are all fast enough to potentially help the Chargers in competition right away. 

Hillsdale opens the 2026-27 campaign this Saturday, Oct. 3, with a tri-meet at Indiana Wesleyan that also includes Campbellsville, and will compete at the Jack McAvoy Natatorium twice in 2026-27, on Oct. 17 against Findlay and Davenport, and on January 9 against Saginaw Valley State and Ashland. The Chargers will build towards the 2027 G-MAC/MEC Championships, held from Feb. 10-13 in Morgantown West Virginia at the Peak Health Aquatic Center.