VERMILLION – South Dakota men’s and women’s swimming and diving team had 10 members named to the Academic All-Summit League team announced Wednesday by the league office.
The women’s team placed six on the 15-member squad while the men’s team had four selections from the 16-member team. Seniors Jake Leichner, Jacob Won and Isabel Fairbanks are honored for the third time in their careers while repeat selections include junior Zachary Kopp and senior Leah Drengenberg.
First time honors for the men went to junior Aidan Gantenbein while the women’s team first time honorees include seniors Naomi Bingham and Kristen Quigley along with sophomores Stella Fairbanks and Kayla Middaugh.
Leichner earned All-Summit League honors in three events, finishing third in the 200 IM and 400 IM as well as the 800 free relay. He lowered his school record in the 400 IM to 3:56.88 and swam a season best 1:50.20 in the 200 IM. The native of Highlands Ranch, Colo., was also sixth in the 200 breaststroke in a season best 2:02.97. The operational analytics major has a 3.54 GPA.
Won, from Katy, Texas, was a two-time All-Summit League honoree, finishing second in the 200 butterfly (1:51.45) and as a member of a third place 800 free relay quartet. He placed seventh in the 100 butterfly (50.07) and swam a season best 4:35.08 to finish ninth in the 500 free. The economics major carries a 3.92 GPA.
Isabel Fairbanks earned All-Summit League honors in three events, two individual and one relay. She was the league runner-up in the 100 IM, clocking a personal best 57.73 and the 200 IM, where she also clocked a personal best 2:05.07. She swam on a third place 400 medley relay and finished 10th in the 100 back. The Highland, Michigan, native, owns a 3.97 GPA in Health Sciences.
Kopp had a hand in three Summit League titles, one individual and two relays, while earning All-Summit League honors in six different events. The native of Otsego, Minnesota, won the 50 free for the second straight season in a season best 20.35. He swam on the 400 medley relay, that set the school record, and the 200 free relay that won Summit titles. Two more relays he swam on finished second, the 200 medley that set the school record and the 400 free. The kinesiology and sports management major with a 3.67 GPA placed third in the 100 back in a personal best 49.32 while he was also seventh in the 100 free.
Drengenberg posted a trio of top 15 finishes at the Summit League Championships. The Dixon, Illinois, native, placed fifth in the 400 IM (4:33.73), sixth in the 1650 free (17:37.45) and 14th in the 500 free (5:08.42), swimming season best times in all three events. The medical biology major carries a 3.71 GPA.
Gantenbein earned All-Summit League honors as a member of a pair of runner-up relays, the 200 medley (school record) and 400 free. He also had a trio of top seven individual finishes at the league meet, placing fourth in the 100 butterfly (49.49), fifth in the 100 backstroke (49.62) and seventh in the 200 back (1:53.16). The native of Valley Center, Kansas, who carries a 3.95 GPA in kinesiology and sports management, swam a personal best in all three races.
Quigley swam to a trio of top 15 finishes at the Summit League Championships while also earning All-Summit League honors as a member of the runner-up 800 free relay quartet. The Guelph, Ontario, native, was seventh in the 200 IM (2:08.96), ninth in the 200 butterfly (2:10.26) and 13th in the 200 free (1:54.10). She owns a career 3.75 GPA in neuroscience.
Bingham, from Mukilteo, Washington, scored a pair of top 15 finishes at the Summit League Championships, placing ninth in the one-meter diving event and 15th in the three-meter competition. She set a collegiate best on the one-meter board of 261.23 while she had eight top three finishes this season for the 4.00 GPA student in biology conservation and diversity.
Middaugh, from Shawnee, Kansas, posted a pair of top 11 finishes at the Summit League Championships, placing seventh in the three-meter diving event and 11th in the one-meter diving event. She set personal bests on both boards during the season, reaching 263.55 on the three-meter board and 251.40 on the one-meter board. Part of 13 top three finishes for the 4.00 GPA student in nursing.
Stella Fairbanks, the younger sister of Isabel, was named Summit League women’s diver of the championships following a win in the one-meter event and a runner-up in the three-meter competition. The NCAA Zone Diving Championships qualifier posted collegiate bests in both events at the league championships, posting a score of 281.45 on one-meter and 289.80 on three-meter. The health sciences major carries a 3.93 GPA.
To be eligible for the Summit League Academic All-League team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.30, completed one academic year at their current institution and participated in 50 percent of competitions.
2021-22 Men’s Swimming & Diving Academic All-League Team
| Name | School | Yr. | Hometown | GPA | Major |
| Aidan Gantenbein | South Dakota | Jr. | Valley Center, Kan. | 3.95 | Kinesiology, Sport & Recreation |
| Will Goldman | St. Thomas | Jr. | Arden Hills, Minn. | 4.00 | Exercise Science |
| Jake Leichner*** | South Dakota | Sr. | Highlands Ranch, Colo. | 3.54 | Operational Analytics |
| Darragh Mahns** | Denver | Sr. | Missoula, Mont. | 3.62 | Computer Science |
| Caleb Harthoorn | South Dakota State | Jr. | Norfolk, Neb. | 3.92 | Biology |
| Forrest Baumgartner** | Eastern Illinois | Sr. | Culver, Ind. | 3.57 | Biochemistry |
| Max White** | South Dakota State | Jr. | Kokomo, Ind. | 4.00 | Ecology/Environmental Science |
| Zachary Bayler | Denver | So. | Silver Spring, Md. | 3.94 | Electrical Engineering and French |
| Naested Smit | South Dakota State | Jr. | Lusaka, Zambia | 4.00 | Aviation |
| Damon Venner | South Dakota State | Sr. | Sioux Falls, S.D. | 3.50 | Mathematics |
| Zachary Kopp** | South Dakota | Jr. | Otsego, Minn. | 3.67 | Kinesiology |
| Joel Talley*** | Eastern Illinois | Sr. | Troy, Mo. | 3.83 | Biochemistry |
| Riley Babson** | Denver | Jr. | Vail, Ariz. | 3.52 | Biology and Math |
| Jacob Won*** | South Dakota | Sr. | Katy, Texas | 3.92 | Economics |
| Quenton Steffen | South Dakota State | Sr. | Eagan, Minn. | 3.53 | Biochemistry/Pre-Medicine |
| Tyler Hackman | St. Thomas | Jr. | Sioux Falls, S.D. | 3.90 | Neuroscience |
*Career Academic All-League honors
2021-22 Women’s Swimming & Diving Academic All-League Team
| Name | School | Yr. | Hometown | GPA | Major |
| Sianne Downes | South Dakota State | So. | Edenvale, South Africa | 3.85 | Mechanical Engineering |
| Anna Astrup | St. Thomas | Sr. | Fargo, N.D. | 3.88 | Actuarial Science and Statistics |
| Elisabeth Timmer | South Dakota State | Jr. | Savaneta, Aruba | 3.51 | Mechanical Engineering |
| Phoebe Croston | Eastern Illinois | So. | Highlands Rach, Colo. | 4.00 | Pre-Physical Therapy |
| Isabel Fairbanks*** | South Dakota | Sr. | Highland, Mich. | 3.97 | Health Sciences |
| Stella Fairbanks | South Dakota | So. | Highland, Mich. | 3.93 | Health Sciences |
| Erika Remington** | Denver | Jr. | Cedarburg, Wis. | 4.00 | Biology and Spanish |
| Kristen Quigley | South Dakota | Sr. | Guelph, Ontario | 3.75 | Neuroscience |
| Leah Drengenberg** | South Dakota | Sr. | Dixon, Ill. | 3.71 | Medical Biology |
| Naomi Bingham | South Dakota | Sr. | Mukilteo, Wash. | 4.00 | Biology/Conservation and Diversity |
| Natalie Cannell | South Dakota State | So. | Olathe, Kan. | 4.00 | Business Economics |
| Aysia Leckie | Denver | Gr. | Georgetown, Ontario | 3.65 | Finance |
| Zora Opalka | Denver | R-Sr. | Bainbridge Island, Wash. | 3.76 | Marketing |
| Kayla Middaugh | South Dakota | So. | Shawnee, Kan. | 4.00 | Nursing |
| Grace Witherspoon** | South Dakota State | Jr. | Eden Prairie, Minn. | 3.82 | Nursing |
*Career Academic All-League honors
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