ATLANTA, GA. — Queens Swimmer Sophia Lange was named the 2024 ASUN Women's Scholar Athlete of the Year, while Keegan McKenney, Yannick Plasil, Conner Wang, Tova Andersson, and Danielle Melilli each earned a spot on the Academic All-ASUN squads, the conference announced Monday.
To be considered for the Academic All-ASUN Teams, undergraduate student-athletes must have a cumulative 3.50 GPA, participated in 50% of contests during the season, have completed four (4) semesters of college coursework OR 50-percent of progress towards a degree and have one year of residence at the institution. Student-athletes in post-graduate programs must have a cumulative 3.50 GPA and have participated in 50-percent of contests during the season. Nominees are then voted on by Athletic Communicators and Academic Advisors throughout the conference.
Lange earned the Women's Scholar Athlete of the Year honor due to her stellar performance in and out of the water. The senior currently boasts a 4.0 GPA and plans to earn her degree in May in International Studies. In the pool, Lange was most recently named the Women's 1650 Free ASUN Champion and 500 Free ASUN Champion, as well as being part of a program-record breaking time of 7:12.87 in the Women's 800 Free Relay.
Rounding out the women's Academic-All ASUN team was Danielle Melilli (3.6073) who will graduate with a degree in Biology, and Tova Andersson (3.9692) who is currently earning her Psychology degree.
Melilli's highlights throughout the season in the water include her three first-place finishes at the 2024 ASUN Conference Championships in the 100 Free, 50 Free, and 100 Breast, as well as earning a spot at the Olympic Trails this summer after her 25.55 swim in the 50 Meter Free at the 2023 Toyota US Open.
Andersson's highlights most recently include her status as a three-time finalist at the 2024 ASUN Conference Championships in the 200 IM (fifth), 200 Back (sixth), and 400 IM (sixth).
For the men, McKenney earned the honor as the Cape Elizabeth, Maine native earned a 3.753 GPA in his Finance degree, and was most recently a finalist in the 2024 ASUN Championships in the 200 Fly (sixth).
Plasil earned the All-ASUN honor with his 4.0 GPA in Finance, with a minor in Accounting. The senior was a three-time 2024 ASUN Conference Championship finalist in the 200 Fly (third), 100 Fly (third), and 200 IM (fourth).
Wang rounds out the honors with his current 3.5608 GPA in his Engineering & Physics degree, and with his performance at the 2024 ASUN Conference Championships as a two-time finalist in the 100 Fly (fifth), and the 50 Free (eighth).
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow the Royals men's and women's swimming teams on Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest news surrounding the team. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics to stay updated on all the Royals sports teams in action by searching @QueensAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
