ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict athletic department celebrated the accomplishments of the 2025-26 athletic year in May with its annual student-athlete celebration. Twelve Bennies were announced as finalists for the annual CSB Athlete of the Year award, presented to the top athlete of the season in each sport.

Junior sprinter Haley Zelen (Shakopee, Minn.) was selected as CSB swim & dive's candidate for the honor. 

Zelen had a banner year for the Bennies after transferring from Division I Wisconsin. She became the program's first NCAA qualifier in 24 years since Katie Kuhlmann '02 reached nationals in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke. Zelen was also the first Bennie to qualify in three different events since Kuhlmann did in 2000. 

She placed second in her marquis event – the 100-yard butterfly – with a school-record time of 53.88 on day two of the championship meet. Zelen's second-place finish, which earned her All-America first team honors – was the highest finish at the national meet by any Bennie. 

She and her mother, Deanne Siverson Zelen '98, became the first Bennie swim & dive mother-daughter duo to both receive All-America honors. Zelen's father, Matt Zelen '99, was a national champion (50-yard freestyle), 13-time All-American, 13-time MIAC Champion and 17-time All-MIAC performer for the Saint John's swim & dive team. 

Zelen was named Saint Benedict's first MIAC Swimmer of the Year after totaling six title and seven All-MIAC swims at the conference meet. She won the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard medley relay, 400-yard medley relay and 200-yard freestyle relay and was second in the 400-yard freestyle relay. 

She broke school records in the 100-yard butterfly (53.88), 100-yard freestyle (23.62), 50-yard freestyle (23.07), 100-yard IM (59.76) and all four relays she swam on. She was named the MIAC Swimmer of the Week a program-record six times and was seven-times selected as the department's Athlete of the Week. 

Zelen won 35 races between individual events and relays. Outside of the national championships, there were only two individual finals swims that she did not take first in through nine meets.

A dual-sport athlete, Zelen also competed for the Bennie track & field team in the 200- and 400-meter dashes. She earned All-MIAC honorable mention honors (4th) at the MIAC Outdoor Championship as a part of CSB's 4x400-meter relay.

The Bennies finished fifth out of nine teams Feb. 11-14 at the 2026 MIAC Championships and 29th out of 44 teams March 18-21 at the NCAA Division III Championships. CSB collected the program's highest conference meet point total (467) since 2011-12 (478) and won eight conference titles. Zelen earned All-America honors with a runner-up finish in the 100-yard butterfly, the highest finish by any Bennie swimmer at the national meet. She was named the MIAC Women's Swimmer of the Year after breaking eight program records and winning six MIAC titles. Saint Benedict head coach Mandy Wolvert was honored as the MIAC Coach of the Year after coaching her athletes to 13 All-MIAC and honorable mention honors, the most since 1998-99.