TROY, N.Y. – Union College student-athletes started the New Year with a bang over the weekend, combining to earn seven Liberty League weekly awards and one honor roll spot between the swimming & diving and basketball teams for the week ending January 4, the conference office announced on Monday afternoon.
Women's Basketball Performer of the Week: Jelena Perovic
Perovic earns her second award of the season after pacing all players with 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead Union to a 69-60 win over Rochester Institute of Technology to start off the 2026 portion of the schedule on Saturday, hitting 8-of-14 shots from the field. The senior had 10 points and seven boards in the second half, in which the Garnet Chargers outscored the Tigers by nine points to pull away.
Men's Swimming & Diving Swimmer of the Week: Drew Hill
Hill is recognized for the second time this year after finishing as Union's high-point swimmer in Saturday's meet against Amherst College, totaling 12 points. Hill won the 100 butterfly with a time of 51.96 and anchored the third-place 200 medley relay that finished in 1:39.73. He also placed fourth in the 50 freestyle (22.55) and fifth in the 100 breaststroke (1:03.28). It was the first time he has competed in the 100 breast since Jan. 22, 2023 and his 1:03.28 marked a lifetime best.
Women's Swimming & Diving Swimmer of the Week: Chloe Matthews
Matthews earned a trio of third-place finishes in Union's meet against #20 Amherst. Matthews placed third in the 200 freestyle (2:03.34) with a personal best and third in the 200 individual medley (2:18.73). Matthews also swam the second leg of the third-place 200 freestyle relay that finished in 1:45.09. She additionally competed in the 200 medley relay, swimming the butterfly leg in 26.25 (the third-fastest butterfly split in the race) as the relay placed sixth overall.
Men's Swimming & Diving Diver of the Week: Cole Pierson
Pierson earned eight points for the Garnet Chargers with a pair of second-place performances off the 1-meter and 3-meter diving boards versus Amherst. He scored a 146.50 off the 1m board and a 166.95 of the 3m board with six dives each.
Women's Swimming & Diving Diver of the Week: Maggie Clifford
Clifford placed fourth with 127.20 points off the 1-meter board after six dives against Amherst, marking her second-best performance off the 1m board in her collegiate career.
Men's Swimming & Diving Rookie of the Week: Troy Luley
Luley picks up his third weekly honor of 2025-26 after finishing as Union's highest-scoring first-year swimmer against Amherst, finishing with nine points. Luley placed second in the 100 breaststroke (58.63) and added a third-place finish in the 200 breaststroke (2:07.87). He also placed sixth in the 200 individual medley (2:05.31) and swam the breaststroke leg of the third-place 200 medley relay that finished in 1:39.73.
Women's Swimming & Diving Rookie of the Week: Cate Kavanaugh
Kavanaugh led Union in the distance freestyle events during Saturday's meet against #20 Amherst and was the Garnet Chargers' high-point swimmer. Kavanaugh placed third in both the 1,000 freestyle (12:16.91) and the 500 freestyle (5:51.41), and added a fifth-place finish in the 200 individual medley (2:32.24). She also led off Union's 200 freestyle relay, which placed sixth with a time of 1:56.70.
Honor Roll Mentions:
Men's Basketball: Jack Plesser
Plesser scored a team-leading 18 points and added six rebounds and four assists in Union's 74-63 win over RIT on Saturday, helping the team to its best 10-game start since 2012-13. The junior led all players with 14 points in the first half of play, including seven of the team's final nine points as the visitors jumped out to an eight-point halftime advantage.
