BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – Fairmont State’s Delaney Householder and Frostburg State’s Genevieve Rippeon have been named the 2025-26 Mountain East Conference Women’s Swimmers of the Year.
 
The league announced the Top Honors on Tuesday.
 
The all-conference awards were previously announced based on performances at the Great Midwest Athletic Conference/Mountain East Conference Swimming & Diving Championships in February.
 
At that event, Householder, a sophomore from Morgantown, West Virginia, earned all-conference recognition in the 200 Freestyle Relay, 200 Freestyle, 500 Freestyle, 100 Backstroke, 800 Freestyle Relay, 200 Backstroke, and the 400 Freestyle Relay.
 
Rippeon, a sophomore from Ellicott City, Maryland, earned all-conference recognition in the 1000 Freestyle, 400 IM, 400 Medley Relay, 500 Freestyle, 800 Freestyle Relay, 1650 Freestyle, and the 400 Freestyle Relay. Rippeon, was also named the Women’s Swimmer of the Meet at the Championship.
 
The Women’s Freshman Swimmers of the Year went to Fairmont State’s Maitlyn Miller and Frostburg State’s Jenna Handwerger.
 
At the championship, Miller, who is from Moundsville, West Virginia, earned all-conference recognition in the 200 Medley Relay, 50 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle Relay, 100 Freestyle, and 400 Freestyle Relay.
 
Handwerger, who is from Eldersburg, Maryland, earned all-conference recognition in six events: 1000 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle, 400 Medley Relay, 200 Butterfly, 800 Freestyle Relay, and 400 Freestyle Relay.
 
Frostburg State’s Kyle Garase has been named the Women’s Coach of the Year. Garase led Frostburg State to a fourth-place finish in the G-MAC/MEC Championships and first among MEC teams with 846 points, besting Fairmont State, Wheeling, Davis & Elkins, Salem, and West Virginia Wesleyan.

Women's Swimmer of the Year: Delaney Householder, Fairmont State & Genevieve Rippeon, Frostburg State
Women's Freshman of the Year: Maitlyn Miller, Fairmont State & Jenna Handwerger, Frostburg State
Women's Coach of the Year: Kyle Garase, Frostburg State