Peden wins SAC President’s Award

Peden wins SAC President’s Award

ROCK HILL, S.C.- Carson-Newman women's swimming alumna Rachel Peden has laid claim to the South Atlantic Conference's President's Award, the league office announced Friday morning. 

The highest individual honor presented annually by the South Atlantic Conference, the President's Award is voted on by the league's Faculty Athletic Representatives and to be eligible, student-athletes must exemplify excellence in athletics, academics and community service. Further, to be nominated for this prestigious award, the individual must have been honored as the Scholar-Athlete of the Year during the year in one of the league's 20 sponsored sports.

Peden is the first winner from Carson-Newman for the award since C-N and SAC Hall of Famer Marci Mitchell (now Whiteside) won in back-to-back years in 2001-02 and 2002-03.  Whiteside and Peden are the only three Eagles to have brought home the President's Award in the league's history.

Peden wrapped up her academic career in May, graduating with a 3.95 GPA and a degree in psychology. She was voted SAC Women's Swimming Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Friday, Mar. 24.

Academically, Peden is a member of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society which honors the top 10% of all juniors, seniors, and graduate students on a given campus. Peden's name has shown up on the Dean's List for four straight years, and she has received either Platinum or Gold Scholar recognition each year during her time at Carson-Newman. Gold and Platinum Scholar honors are part of the Eagle Scholars Program that highlights academic achievement among student athletes at Carson-Newman.

This year, Peden was honored as part of the CSC Academic All-District team and was laureled with Third Team Academic All-America honors.

Peden has also proven to be successful on the athletic front. She is a three-time school record holder. Peden won the Nancy Claire Smith Award her freshman year at Carson-Newman which is awarded to one swimmer at the end of each season. Peden received the Eagle Award her sophomore year and was named team MVP after her junior season.

Peden is a two-time All-American and has earned Honorable Mention All-American honors at this year's NCAA DII Swimming and Diving Championships. She is a 2023 SAC Division II Champion in the 400-yard IM and SAC runner up in three separate events.

Earlier this year, Peden was named the South Atlantic Conference Varsity Gems Women's Swimmer of the Week for her performance during the eighth week of the 2022-23 swim season. The Eagles competed against Emory & Henry where Peden took gold in the women's 1000-yard freestyle event with a time of 10:59.31. Peden was the only swimmer who completed the race in under 11 minutes, and she finished 14 seconds ahead of her second-place competition.

Peden concluded her senior season at the NCAA Division II Championships that began Wednesday, Mar. 8. Peden was selected for four separate events. Her 500-yard freestyle (4:54.54), 400-yard individual medley (4:22.61), 1,650-yard freestyle (17:06.28), and 1,000-yard freestyle (10:10.32) each afforded her a spot to compete in the national meet.

During nationals, Peden placed ninth in the women's 1,650-yard freestyle finals with a time of 16:58.37, a season best performance in the event. Her efforts earned her Honorable Mention All-American honors at the meet.

At the South Atlantic Conference Championships, Peden won gold in the women's 400-yard IM with a qualifying mark in 4:22.61, and she secured three silver medals throughout the meet. Her 500-yard freestyle (4:57.92), 1,000-yard freestyle (10:10.32), and 1,650-yard freestyle (17:08.05) each allowed her a spot on the podium.

Peden has eight first place finishes on the season. She swam against high levels of competition throughout her senior year and secured multiple spots on the podium. Peden placed second in the 500-yard freestyle (5:06.46) during the Eagles' trip to Georgia Tech and third in the 400-yard IM (4:36.21) against the University of Tennessee.

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