INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Haley Zelen comes from a history-making family.
 
Now the College of Saint Benedict junior swimmer from Shakopee, Minn., has made some history of her own.
 
Zelen finished second overall in the 100-yard butterfly in a school-record time of 53.88 seconds Thursday (March 19) night at the NCAA Division III national championships being held at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis.
 
It marked the best finish by a Bennie swimmer or diver at the national meet in program history and earned Zelen - who transferred to CSB from Division I Wisconsin prior to this season - All-American honors.
 
"It's so exciting," said Zelen, whose 17 team points for a second place finish places Saint Ben's tied for 20th among 33 teams at the DIII Championship. "Thinking back over the decision to come (to CSB), and all the hard work I put in this season, then to see it all pay off like this, is an incredible feeling. It means a lot to be able to say I'm an All-American."


Zelen joins her father Matt, a 13-time All-MIAC and All-American swimmer for the Johnnies who won the Division III national title in the 50 freestyle as a senior in 1998-99, and her mother Deanne (Siverson), who was part of the 200 medley relay that finished seventh at the Division III national meet in 1998, earning All-American honors as well.
 
Haley and Deanne become the first mother-daughter duo in school history to each become All-Americans.
 
"It's so amazing," said Deanne, who watched from the stands alongside Matt, other family members and a sizable cheering section of CSB and SJU supporters. "I'm so happy for her with all she's come through in the past year and the big life decisions she's made. To see it all pay off, and to watch her smiling on the pool deck, was a priceless moment."
 
"As a parent, you have no control over what's going to happen," Matt added. "But to watch her do what she does best and come away with a second-place finish was incredible. I'm so proud of her and really proud of the connection to what her mom did. We didn't realize they'd be the first mother-daughter combination to each become All-Americans. When we read that, Deanne and I both got teary-eyed."
 

Haley, meanwhile, said she's proud to add her name to her family's long list of accomplishments.
 
"They both made their mark at the school, now I'm getting the chance to make my own history here," she said. "It's just really cool to now have my name listed next to theirs."
 
Zelen entered the national meet seeded second in the 100 butterfly and had the second-fastest time in prelims in the event Thursday morning with a time of 54.19. She then finished second to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps senior Madeleine Kan (53.57) by just .31 of a second in the finals Thursday night.
 
"It's been so much fun to be on this journey with Haley," CSB head coach Mandy Wolvert said. "I couldn't be prouder of all her accomplishments and of the way she swam tonight."
 
The 100 butterfly is the second of three events in which Zelen is competing at this season's national meet. She recorded a time of 23.62 seconds in preliminary competition in the 50 freestyle Wednesday but did not advance to finals.
 
Zelen, who is the program's first swimming All-American since Katie Kuhlmann (sixth in the 100 breaststroke in 2002), will be back in the pool to compete in the 100 freestyle Saturday - an event in which she is seeded 19th overall.
 
"My goal is to go out and have fun with it," she said of the 100 freestyle. "Hopefully, I can make the finals. But this whole meet has already been a great experience and now I just want to have fun and enjoy my last event."