NAC Announces 2024 Women’s Swimming & Diving Award Honorees
WATERVILLE, Maine – The North Atlantic Conference announced its 2024 Women’s Swimming & Diving All-NAC Awards, showcasing a roster of standout honorees.
Katherine Maloney of Gordon College claimed the conference’s Swimmer of the Year award, while Husson University’s
Riley Mahoney repeated as NAC Diver of the Year. Maine Maritime’s
Claire MacDonald was selected as Rookie of the Year.
Husson’s
Kayla Payson was named Senior Scholar Athlete. Payson previously earned two NAC Swimmer of the Year accolades in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Lauren Hoffman rounded out Husson’s end-of-season honors as the conference’s Coach of the Year. Hoffman is in her first season at the helm of Husson’s women’s swimming & diving program, leading the program to their third consecutive NAC crown and a second place finish at the Metropolitan Championship. .
Maloney showcased leadership throughout the season amongst Gordon’s swimming & diving program as she not only improved, but also produced in competition. Maloney finds herself in Gordon’s record books, claiming program top 10 times in eight different events. In the NAC 2024 Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship, Maloney earned the top conference spot in the 500 Freestyle, 400 Individual Medley, and the 1650 Freestyle. Maloney also contributed in Gordon’s relay events.
Mahoney put together an impressive season on the diving board for the Eagles, earning NAC Diver of the Week multiple times. Mahoney, a program record holder at Husson, was the NAC champion in the three-meter diving event with a score of 332.90, placing second overall at the 2024 Metropolitan Collegiate Swimming & Diving Championship. Mahoney also found herself on the podium for a third-place overall finish in the one-meter diving event with a score of 381.50.
MacDonald’s swim career has not always been linear as she initially stepped away from the competitive swim landscape five years ago, but the Rookie of the Year found her way back to the pool for a notable first season at Maine Maritime Academy. MacDonald made massive strides in both the 200 Individual Medley and the 200 Butterfly, solidifying an eighth-place finish at METS. MacDonald’s competitive spirit heightened the Mariner’s program culture throughout the season.
Payson racked up NAC Swimmer of the Week accolades throughout the 2023-24 season and claimed two NAC titles in the 100 and 200 Butterfly. In the classroom, Payson will graduate with a 3.772 GPA in nursing this spring. She has been a regular on the institution’s Dean’s and President’s list, and the senior earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors in the 2022-23 season. Additionally, Payson has worked as a volunteer at Waldo Country General Hospital, was a mobility tech at the Eastern Maine Medical Center, and completed a nursing internship at Maine General. Payson has also worked as a daycare and preschool lead teacher and is currently a CNA/MA – all while being a competitive student-athlete.
In addition to the top conference awards, the top finisher in each event at METS was named to the 2024 All-Conference Team.
Four student-athletes were also named to the NAC Women’s Swimming & Diving Sportsmanship team. The Sportsmanship Team is reserved for those who distinguish themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior. The honorees have positively affected the sport culture and game environment by clearly demonstrating sportsmanship and integrity beyond playing rules and etiquette.
The complete list of NAC Women’s Swimming & Diving award recipients can be found below:
WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING
Swimmer of the Year – Katherine Maloney, Gordon College
Diver of the Year – Riley Mahoney, Husson University
Rookie of the Year – Claire MacDonald, Maine Maritime Academy
Senior Scholar Athlete – Kayla Payson, Husson University
Coach of the Year – Lauren Hoffman, Husson University
2024 All-North Atlantic Conference
First Place at the NAC Championship
All-Conference Team
500 Freestyle – Katherine Maloney, Gordon College
200 Individual Medley – Rachel Hand, Husson University
50 Freestyle – Rayelle Brewer, Maine Maritime Academy
3-Meter Diving – Riley Mahoney, Husson University
400 Individual Medley – Katherine Maloney, Gordon College
100 Butterfly – Kayla Payson, Husson University
200 Freestyle – Rayelle Brewer, Maine Maritime Academy
100 Breaststroke – Erin Madden, Husson University
100 Backstroke – Rachel Hand, Husson University
1650 Freestyle – Katherine Maloney, Gordon College
1-Meter Diving – Natasha Kopeck, Maine Maritime Academy
200 Backstroke – Erin Madden, Husson University
100 Freestyle – Rachel Hand, Husson University
200 Breaststroke – Grace Rocheleau, Husson University
200 Butterfly – Kayla Payson, Husson University
200 Freestyle Relay – Maine Maritime Academy (Natasha Kopeckm, Elizavata Zhukov, Kylie Cantlon, Rayelle Brewer)
400 Medley Relay – Husson University (Rachel Hand, Erin Madden, Kayla Payson, Mia Winslow)
200 Medley Relay – Maine Maritime Academy (Elizavata Zhukov, Sage Dentremont, Claire MacDonald, Rayelle Brewer)
800 Freestyle Relay – Maine Maritime Academy (Natasha Kopeck, Claire MacDonald, Eva Schulz, Kylie Cantlon)
400 Freestyle Relay – Husson University (Kayla Payson, Mia Winslow, Erin Madden, Rachel Hand)
Sportsmanship Team
Gordon College – Lily Brooks
Husson University – Hannah Soutter
Maine Maritime Academy – Sage Dentremont
SUNY Delhi – Veronica Coe