PHILADELPHIA – West Chester University placed four swimmers on the Women's Swimming Philadelphia Inquirer/PhillySIDA Academic All-Area team it was announced this week.
 
Keeley Durkin (Brookhaven, Pa./Sun Valley), Sophia Gerhart (Spring Mills, Pa./Penn Valley Area), McKenzie Hemingway (Chestertown, Md./Queen Anne's County) and Mikayla Niness (Spring City, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) were all recognized for their academic excellence in the classroom as well as in the pool.
 
This year's Academic All-Area Team represents the elite performances of the schools in the Philadelphia region during the 2023-24 campaign. Nine members of the Academic All-Area Women's Swimming & Diving Team either earned All-America honors and/or were conference champions during the 2024 season. Three of the student-athletes on the team won major conference awards this year and eight of the 10 selections to the Academic All-Area squad boast a cumulative grade-point average of 3.7 or higher.
 
Six different schools were represented on the Academic All-Area Team, including West Chester and Villanova who each had multiple honorees, after a vote by the sports information offices of the colleges and universities in the Philadelphia area. West Chester led all schools with four selections, including a senior trio of Division II All-Americans.
 
Durkin was a four-time NCAA qualifier individually, who also qualified on two relays, for the NCAA Championships. On the conference level, Durkin won four PSAC individual titles and was a two-time conference champ on her relays. Her 400 free relay finished eighth at NCAAs and won a PSAC title while her 800 free relay team placed ninth at NCAAs after winning the PSAC crown. Individually, Durkin placed 13th in the 1000 free, 19th in the 1650 and 16th in the 500 free.
 
Gerhart was an NCAA Division II All-American in the 400 individual medley where she placed eighth at the Swimming & Diving Championships. She was a three-time NCAA qualifier individually. At nationals, she placed 18th in the 1000 free and 24th in the 500 free, individually. Gerhart won three conference titles in February, taking first place in the 400 IM and the 200 butterfly. She was also a member of the 800 free relay that won first place. She also finished runner-up in the 500 free at PSACs.
 
Hemingway, who was most recently named a PSAC Winter Top 10 award winner to her growing list of postseason accolades, was a two-time All-American at the NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships last month. The three-event qualifier for nationals placed eighth in the 100 breaststroke while posting the fastest time in the PSAC of 1 minute, 1.81 seconds during a swim-off to qualify for the 'A' final and earn one of her All-America citations. She was also a member of the 400 free relay that earned All-America status. She finished 12th in the 200 IM with a time of 2:02.49 that was also the fastest in the PSAC this year.
 
The senior was also a PSAC individual champion in the 100 breast while swimming four relays that brought home conference championships (400 medley, 200 free, 400 free and 800 free).
 
Niness earned All-America status as a member of the 400 free relay team at the NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving championships in March. She was a three-time NCAA qualifier individually while also qualifying with two relays. Three of her relays won PSAC titles at the conference meet in February while she was also a three-time PSAC runner-up at that same meet. Niness placed 14th in the 200 free, 17th in the 1000 free and 19th in the 500 free, individually, at nationals. The 400 free relay was eighth while the 800 free relay was ninth. At PSACs, Niness placed second in the 100, 200 and 1000 free. Her 200, 400 and 800 free relays all won PSAC titles.
 
Fifth-year Drexel standout Chelsea Gravereaux was named the 2024 Philly-SIDA Academic All-Area Women's Swimming & Diving Performer of the Year.