TROY, N.Y. – Both the Union College men's and women's swimming & diving teams swept their weekly Liberty League awards while six more student-athletes were named to their respective sports' honor rolls for the week ending on October 5, the conference office announced on Monday afternoon.
Men's Swimming & Diving Swimmer of the Week: Drew Hill
Hill helped lead the Garnet Chargers to a 1-1 weekend at their home tri-meet against Clarkson and St. Lawrence on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gym Pool. Hill was the highest scoring swimmer at the meet, winning all four of his events, good for 27 points. He set the pool record with a 54.34 performance in the 100 IM, also achieving a personal best. Additionally, Hill won the 100 fly (51.89), the 50 fly (23.57), and also swam the butterfly leg of Union's first-place 200 medley relay (1:37.61).
Men's Swimming & Diving Rookie of the Week: Troy Luley
Luley was the second-highest scoring swimmer at Saturday's meet against Clarkson and St. Lawrence, reaching the podium in all four of his events and winning three of them. He earned 21 points for his team, and his third-place 58.24 time in the 100 IM was a lifetime best. Luley also won the 500 free (4:57.58), the 100 breast (1:00.21), and also swam the breaststroke leg of the winning 200 medley relay (1:37.61).
Women's Swimming & Diving Swimmer of the Week: Ali Sweeney
Sweeney led the Garnet Chargers to a 2-1 weekend at their quad-meet against Clarkson, St. Lawrence and Smith on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gym Pool. Sweeney was Union's high-point swimmer, earning 18 points for the Garnet Chargers, and tied for the most points overall. Sweeney championed the 50 breast (34.11) and the 100 breast (1:14.42), and swam the breaststroke leg of the Union's third-place 200 medley relay, with her time of 33.87 the second-fastest breaststroke leg by any team in the event.
Women's Swimming & Diving Rookie of the Week: Julia Garber
Garber set the Alumni Gym Pool record in the 100 IM with a lifetime-best of 1:04.95, helping Union to a 2-1 Saturday. She earned 13 points for the Garnet Chargers across the whole meet with a win, a second-place finish, and a third-place finish across four events. She not only swam all four strokes for Union in her record-setting IM, but she also swam three different strokes during her other three events in the fly, the free relay, and the breaststroke leg of the medley relay. She placed second in the 100 fly (1:02.85), swam the third leg of Union's third-place 200 freestyle relay (1:49.68), and swam the breaststroke leg of Union's fifth-place 200 medley relay (2:01.48).
Honor Roll Mentions:
Football: Patch Flanagan
Flanagan combined for 251 total yards and three touchdowns in Union's 28-6 win over Buffalo State on Saturday. He completed 14-of-19 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown while also rushing 15 times for 120 yards (8.0 ypr) and a pair of scores. After the Bengals got within a touchdown early in the third quarter, Flanagan led back-to-back touchdown drives to seal the win, finishing both drives with a 23-yard touchdown pass and a 41-yard touchdown run, respectively.
Women's Golf: Iyene Essien
Essien posted another top-five finish out of 51 golfers at the Hamilton Invitational over the weekend, carding rounds of 75 and 78 to finish the weekend in a tie for fourth place at 153. On the weekend, the sophomore recorded a course-best seven birdies and played the par-threes at a combined two-under par, tops on the field. Her weekend score ties her for fifth on the school two-day scoring ledger and already gives her eight of the top-10 spots on that list.
Men's Soccer: Jacob Perry
Perry made eight saves as part of a 1-0-1 week for Union. The senior stopped five shots in a 2-1 win over King's (Pa.) on Tuesday, then had all three of his stops in the second half as Union came back to tie Rensselaer, 1-1, in Saturday.
Women's Soccer: Grace Beazoglou
Beazoglou helped the Union defensive unit to back-to-back shutout wins and only six combined shots allowed against Bard and Rensselaer last week, and also provided the only goal of the game with a 40-yard strike in the 59th minute in Saturday's 1-0 win over the Engineers. The goal was her first collegiate tally.
Women's Volleyball: Maddie McCarron
In her only match of the week, McCarron pulled off an unconventional double-double with a team-best 12 kills (on .423 hitting) and 10 blocks in a 3-1 win at Skidmore on Saturday. The junior had at least two kills and one block in every set and finished her day with a flourish, putting down three kills and adding two blocks as part of a game-clinching 8-1 run to finish the fourth set. Her 10 blocks are the most by a Liberty League player this season and the most by a Union player in almost exactly a decade.
Women's Volleyball: Shea Ringel
Ringel recorded 16 kills on .272 hitting in five sets last week as Union split two matches. She played only one set against Middlebury on Wednesday but made it count, putting down six kills on nine errorless attacks (.667) while adding two digs and a block. She followed up with 10 kills, four digs and two aces in Union's 3-1 win on the road at Skidmore on Saturday.
