Student-athletes from St. Mary’s College of Maryland received multiple honors this week, as the United East and Atlantic East Conferences recognized outstanding performances in track & field and swimming.
The St. Mary’s women’s indoor track & field team saw two of its members named United East Conference Athletes of the Week. First-year Ella Mitchell earned her first career United East Track Athlete of the Week award after an impressive showing at the Susquehanna University Invite. She placed 13th in the 3000m, setting a personal best with a time of 11:54.25, which ranks third in the conference. Sophomore Jillian Zukley continued her dominant season by securing United East Field Athlete of the Week honors for the fourth time this indoor season and sixth overall in her career. Zukley set a school record in the shot put with a personal-best throw of 12.09 meters, ranking her second in the United East and fifth in the Mid-Atlantic Region. She also placed 11th in the weight throw with a mark of 13.17 meters and qualified for the All-Atlantic Region Track & Field Conference Championships in the shot put.
Junior Nicholas Haylock also made an impact for the Seahawks men’s indoor track & field team, earning his second United East Men’s Track Athlete of the Week award this season. Haylock posted a personal-best time of 53.77 seconds in the 400m dash, finishing 16th at the Susquehanna University Invite. His converted time of 52.93 ranks fifth in the United East. He also competed in the 200m dash, finishing in 24.59 seconds.
St. Mary’s track & field teams will be idle until February 28, when they compete in the United East Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, Maryland.
Meanwhile, the St. Mary’s women’s swim team had a strong presence on the All-Atlantic East Conference teams, with six members earning all-conference honors. Sophomore Kelsie Miller was named the Atlantic East Women’s Swimmer of the Year for the second consecutive season. After earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2024, Miller joins an elite group of Seahawks who have won multiple conference Swimmer of the Year titles. She captured six gold medals and one silver at this year’s championship meet, bringing her career total to 14 All-Atlantic East honors. She recorded NCAA B cuts in the 100-butterfly during both the preliminaries and finals, ranking her 16th in Division III.
Junior captain Venus Kai Judge also made her mark, finishing as the runner-up in the 500-freestyle for the second consecutive season while contributing to the team’s relay victories. Sophomore Emerson Young, along with first-years Mandy Cartwright, Lauren Goulet, and Addison Willey, earned multiple all-conference honors in their championship meet debuts. Young and Willey both contributed to multiple first-place finishes, while Goulet and Cartwright added gold and silver medals to their achievements.
St. Mary’s women’s swimming team reclaimed the Atlantic East championship crown with a dominant 276-point victory. The Seahawks tallied a program-best 841 points, the highest total since joining the conference in 2020-21. They also set three championship meet records and two Atlantic East Conference records during the competition.
On the men’s side, junior Jair Jackson was recognized as the Atlantic East Elite 20 Award winner for men’s swimming. This honor is given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA at each of the conference’s championship events. Jackson, a biochemistry major and mathematics minor, holds a 3.969 GPA and has made the Dean’s List every semester. He also reached the podium three times at the championship meet, finishing fourth in the 200-butterfly, fifth in the 100-butterfly, and seventh in the 200-individual medley.
The St. Mary’s men’s swim team finished as the Atlantic East runner-up for the third consecutive year, scoring a career-best 825 points. Senior captain Luke Schwenk earned Atlantic East Men’s Swimmer of the Year honors for the third year in a row. First-year Harrison Greenwald was named Atlantic East Rookie of the Year, marking the sixth time a St. Mary’s men’s swimmer has won that distinction.
Schwenk continued his dominance by posting five NCAA B cuts, setting three championship meet records, two conference records, and two school records. He finished his Atlantic East career as a four-time champion in the 50-freestyle, a three-time champion in the 100-freestyle, and a two-time champion in the 100-backstroke. His current national rankings include second in Division III for the 50-freestyle (19.64), fifth in the 100-freestyle (43.72), and seventh in the 100-backstroke (47.95).
Greenwald made an immediate impact by securing three gold medals and two silver medals at the championship meet. He set a conference and meet record in the 500-freestyle while also breaking a meet record in the 1650-freestyle. Sophomore Daniel Madigan won the 200-breaststroke after finishing second last year and helped set a school record in the 200-medley relay. Sophomore Kyle Smith also contributed to multiple relay records, including the 200-medley and 400-freestyle relays.
The Seahawks men’s team landed nine athletes on the All-Atlantic East Conference teams, with several swimmers setting career milestones. William Kendrick picked up his first career First Team All-Atlantic East honor as a member of the 200-freestyle relay. Anthony Davis was part of two school-record relays, while CB Jurado, Qwada Moses, and Stephen Lepine also earned all-conference recognition.
The championship meet saw St. Mary’s men’s swim team set 16 program records over four days, continuing to build on their success in the Atlantic East Conference. The Seahawks remain a dominant force in conference swimming, consistently producing top-tier performances in both individual and relay events.
With track & field championships on the horizon and swimming wrapping up a record-breaking season, St. Mary’s College athletes continue to demonstrate their excellence in both competition and academics. The program’s continued success is a testament to the dedication and determination of its student-athletes.
