ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- Haley Zelen was around three years old when her mother took a picture of her standing at the entrance to the College of Saint Benedict campus.
 
It's a photograph that captures both the history the now-Bennie junior was born into, and the future toward which her winding path has now led.
 
"Honestly, I never get tired of talking about my family's legacy here," said Zelen, a Shakopee High School graduate who transferred to CSB from Division I Wisconsin this past offseason and has proceeded to rewrite the Bennie record book – establishing four school records in her first season with the program.
 
"It's such a great one and I'm just really proud to now be part of it," she said.
 
Indeed, Zelen's mother Deanne (Siverson) set several school records and finished in the top three in the MIAC in the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke during all four of her seasons with the Bennies, including a conference title in the 200 as a sophomore in 1995-96.
 
Her father Matt, meanwhile, was a 13-time All-MIAC and All-American swimmer for the Johnnies who won the NCAA Division III national title in the 50 freestyle as a senior in 1998-99 and still holds SJU school records in the 50 and 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly.
 
Haley, though, began her career elsewhere – competing at the Division I level at Wisconsin, where she swam at the Big Ten Championships the past two seasons, including in the 50 and 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly a year ago.
 
"I had a great experience there and I'm glad I had the chance to do that," she said. "But ultimately, I didn't know if the impact I was going to be able to make made it worth it to stay there two more years. I wanted to focus on my future career and set myself up for what comes after graduation. That's what led me to look into transferring."

 
Zelen considered smaller Division I programs like South Dakota and Denver. But, in the end, she kept circling back to CSB.
 
"I was surprised at first when CSB came back into the mix as an option for Haley because she was doing pretty well at Wisconsin," her father Matt said earlier this season. "But we had a heart-to-heart about what she really wanted to do in life and it was clear she wanted to try something new. We explored other schools, but she just fell in love with Saint Ben's. It's been cool to see her just as excited to be on campus as Deanne and I were when we were there."
 

Indeed, Zelen has wasted no time establishing her own name.
 
Entering this week's MIAC Championships – scheduled for Wednesday through Saturday (Feb. 11-14) at the University of Minnesota's Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center – she has already set CSB program marks in the 50 (23.07) and 100 (50.79) freestyle, the 100 butterfly (54.72) and the 100 individual medley (59.76).
 
She also ranks second all-time in the 100 breaststroke and is part of two relays – the 400 medley and 400 freestyle – which have also recorded the second-fastest times in school history.
 
In all, Zelen boasts the MIAC's fastest times in the 50 and 100 freestyle, 100 breaststroke and 100 butterfly. She has also recorded NCAA Division III 'B' cut times in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly. She is ranked fourth in Division III nationally in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly and ninth in the 100 freestyle.
 
"She's put herself in position to be a MIAC champion three times over," CSB head coach Mandy Wolvert said. "She approaches all her races with such confidence and joy. If she continues to do that, she'll be unbeatable."
 
Zelen – an accounting major – admits even she did not see this much success coming in her first season on campus.
 
"This year has already gone way better than I expected," she said. "I hoped I could come in and make an impact right away, maybe even get a couple of NCAA cut times or school records. But this has been way beyond what I thought was going to be possible. It's been even more meaningful to me to be able to do all this here because I'm following in the footsteps of what my parents did," she continued. "To be able to add to our family's history here is really special."
 
It's also been special for her parents, who this week get to return to the MIAC meet where they both once had so much success themselves.
 
"It has been fun to see Haley experience the same camaraderie across the MIAC that (Deanne and I both) experienced," her father said. "She seems to really be having fun swimming again."
 
"They're really excited," Haley added with a laugh. "They've grown so close to the other CSB and SJU parents this season, and I think they all have a lot of things planned over the course of the week. They're even planning to wear color-coordinated outfits."
 
Zelen is hoping to give everyone a whole lot to cheer for.
 
"Ultimately, my goal is to have fun with my teammates and enjoy the experience," she said. "I have the top seed in a few events – the 50 and 100 freestyle and the 100 butterfly. So it would feel pretty good to win a couple of those. But the competition is really tough and I know that won't be easy. I just want to come away saying I swam as fast as I possibly could."