CARMEL, Ind. - The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) announced the winners of the 2025 Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Athletes of the Year awards on Friday, with Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology's Vineet Ranade (Moutain View, Calif.), Franklin College’s Kat Lundy (Winchester, Ind.) and Celeste Hollis (Granger, Ind.) and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology's Cate Stauffer (Elkhart, Ind.) earning the awards.
 
The HCAC Male and Female Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Year honors looks at a swimmer or diver's entire body of work over the course of a season, including any post-season appearances.
 
Ranade, a senior from Rose-Hulman, earned the title of 2025 HCAC Men’s Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Year after an outstanding season. Vineet ended his senior campaign at the NCAA Division III National Championships, with a 17th-place finish in the 200 IM, a 24th-place finish in the 200 Freestyle, and a 17th-place finish in the 200 Breaststroke. During the 2025 HCAC Swimming & Diving Championships, he was named the HCAC Men's Swimmer of the Meet after taking home seven HCAC Championship individual titles, six school records, four HCAC meet records, four all-time HCAC records, and three NCAA B-cut times in the meet. Ranade also recieved the prestigious Elite 90 award during the 2025 NCAA Divison III National Championships, given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point averages participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 90 national championships.

On the women’s side, the HCAC named three decorated student-athletes as the Athletes of the Year.

Franklin's Celeste Hollis won all three of her individual events at the 2025 HCAC Championships. Celeste scored 581.25 points for the Grizzlies throughout the season. Hollis' best times for this season are: 200 Butterfly -  2:05.75 (HCAC and School Record); 100 Butterfly - 56.14 (HCAC and School Record); 100 Freestyle - 52.47; and 50 Freestyle - 24.34. All of these swims are either school records or top 5 swims in school history. Celeste was undefeated against HCAC opponents this season.

Franklin's Kat Lundy also won all three of her individual events at the 2025 HCAC Championships. Kat also scored 540.5 points for the Grizzlies throughout the season. In summation, Lundy's best times this season are: 100 Backstroke - 56.97;  200 Backstroke - 2:04.86; 400 IM - 4:42.38; and the 200 Butterfly - 2:15.45. All the aforementioned times place her in the top 5 all time in Franklin College history. Kat was also undefeated against HCAC opponents this season. 

Rose-Hulman's Cate Stauffer won the 200 IM, 400 IM, and 200 Breast at the 2025 HCAC Championships. She was also part of three first place relay teams (200 Medley, 400 Medley and 800 Free). Stauffer also broke school records in four individual events and one relay. Those records include: the 400 IM - 4:33.91; 100 Breast - 1:06.68; 200 Breast -  2:24.03; 100 Free - 53.27; and 800 Free Relay - 7:55.42.

For more information on HCAC Swimming and Diving, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the HCAC's home on the internet at www.heartlandconf.org. Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference news by following @HCACDIII on X and by liking the "HCAC DIII" Facebook page.