Seven swimmers collect Academic All-District honors from CSC

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (February 28, 2023) – Seven Milligan University swimmers were honored as Academic All-District selections by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) on Tuesday.

The Buffs had four women's and three men's honorees. Senior Rachel Connell, junior Gabby MacPherson, sophomore Liz Mahan and junior Kaylee Williams collected academic honors on the women's side. The Buffs' men's honorees were sophomore Andre Bazzana, senior Connor Harrison and senior Ben Hawkins.

Connell is a senior electrical engineering major with a 3.99 cumulative grade point average and a 2022-23 national qualifier. She will swim the 100-yard butterfly, 100-yard backstroke and 200 back at the NAIA National Championships this week. A two-time relay All-American, Connell is a four-time Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) runner-up.

MacPherson repeats as an Academic All-District nominee as she was selected to the NAIA At-Large Academic All-America Second Team last winter. A nursing major with a 3.72 cumulative GPA, MacPherson is a five-time individual All-American and a nine-time relay All-American. She totaled 36 points at the 2022 NAIA National Championships and was named the AAC Swimmer of the Year last season. MacPherson claimed conference titles in the 100 fly and 200 fly and is a national qualifier in both butterfly events and the 500-yard freestyle.

Mahan, a nursing major with a 3.77 cumulative GPA, is a national qualifier in the 50 free, 100 free and 200 free this winter. She is a two-time relay All-American and took the AAC title in the 50 free in February and is a two-time conference runner-up.

Williams is an exercise science major with a 3.56 cumulative GPA. She has won every AAC breaststroke title since matriculating at Milligan and is a two-time individual and two-time relay All-American. She is a 2022-23 national qualifier in both breaststroke events.

Bazzana has a 3.88 cumulative GPA as a graphic design major. He claimed individual All-America honors with a third-place finish in the 200 free and a fourth-place showing in the 200 fly in his national championship debut last winter and was part of all five of the Buffs' All-American relays. He was honored as the 2022 AAC Swimmer of the Year, is a four-time conference champion and is a 2023 national qualifier in the 200 free, 500 free and 200 fly.

Harrison, a multi-year team captain, is an information systems major with a 3.86 cumulative GPA. He is a two-time conference finalist.

Hawkins is a mechanical engineering major with a 3.53 cumulative GPA. He is a one-time individual All-American and a six-time relay All-American. A three-year national qualifier, Hawkins took the AAC title in the 200-yard breaststroke and was the runner-up in the 200-yard individual medley. He is set to swim the 500 free, 100 breast and 200 breast at the NAIA National Championships.

CSC's Academic All-District program recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performance in the pool and in the classroom. Academic All-District honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot.

Milligan swimming swept the AAC Championships by winning both team titles and 31 of 36 total event championships. The Buffs are in Columbus, Ga. to compete at the NAIA National Championships this week.