Union women’s swimming and diving earns eight All-American honors

Barbourville, Ky. - The Union Commonwealth University women's swimming and diving team earned eight All-American honors following their strong performance at the NAIA Swimming and Diving Nationals. 

At Nationals, athletes who place in the top eight of any individual event receive the prestigious First-Team All-American honor. For relays, a top-four finish secures First-Team recognition, while placing fifth through eighth earns Second-Team honors.

Second Team 

The 800-yard freestyle relay team of Lise Puissant, Emma Phillips, Manca Petrič, and Dorottya Józsa earned Second-Team All-American honors, marking the first women's relay recognition for Union since 2018.

First Team

For the second consecutive season, Emma Phillips earned All-American honors in the 400 IM, 200 IM, and 200 breaststroke. Phillips is now a seven-time All-American.

Manca Petrič also added to her accolades, securing All-American recognition in the 200 free and 1650 free. She is now a three-time All-American. 

Sarah Graves made history in diving, earning All-American honors in both the 3m and 1m events, making her a two-time All-American.

"We had an incredible weekend on the women's side," said Head Coach Ryan Winders. "I am so proud of Emma, Manca, and Sarah—each of them pushed hard to achieve their goals. Manca rebounded well after a tough first night, showing tremendous mental fortitude and unlocking her full potential by the end of the weekend to earn her two All-American nods. Sarah had to push through recurring hip soreness to hit the benchmark scores and secure her two spots on the list, becoming our first female diving All-American. Meanwhile, Emma battled knee tendinitis all season and still put herself in a position to become a three-time All-American for the second time. It was truly amazing to see each of them succeed and accomplish feats beyond the goals they had set for themselves." 

"In addition to their individual honors, our 800-yard freestyle relay team of Lise Puissant, Emma Phillips, Manca Petrič, and Dori Józsa earned Second-Team All-American recognition. This marks the first women's relay honor for Union since 2018. The 800 has been the women's strongest relay all year, and I'm thrilled to see it earn a spot on the list—meaning every woman who competed at Nationals is an All-American in one way or another."

To learn more about how the Bulldogs did at Nationals, click here.