CLINTON, N.Y. -- Hamilton College's Nathaniel Taft '27 couldn't have had a much better day in his first collegiate meet with the Continentals as they took on Trinity College and nationally ranked Colby College at Hamilton's Bristol Pool on Sunday, Nov. 19.

The Continentals were hosting their first swimming and diving meet at newly renovated Bristol Pool since January 2022. Hamilton returns to its pool on Friday, Dec. 8 for a dual meet with Division I Colgate University.

Taft finished first in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle and broke school records that had stood for more than 20 years, and he eclipsed the pool record in the 100 free for good measure. He posted a time of 20.65 seconds in the 50 and 45.38 seconds in the 100. Anthony Loeffler '01 held all three of the previous marks with team-record times of 20.89 and 45.67 set at the 2001 NCAA championships, and a Bristol Pool-record performance of 45.90 that was set in Feb. 2000.

Taft also led off the Continentals' winning 200 free relay as Henry Wiemeyer '26, Ben Howell '24 and Ethan del Rosario '24 joined Taft on that relay. Jack Jee '24 was a double winner in the 50 and 100 butterfly, and Matthew Hake '26 took the top spot in the 50 breaststroke.

TEAM SCORES
Hamilton 201, Trinity 85
No. 20 Colby 171, Hamilton 116

TOP PERFORMANCES
200 free
3. Steven Roche '27, 1:49.27
4. Henry Wiemeyer, 1:50.36
5. Matt McGregor '24, 1:51.03

50 backstroke
3. Jun Cho '25, 26.03 seconds

50 breast
1. Matthew Hake, 27.60 seconds
2. Ben Chidley '27, 27.68

100 fly
1. Jack Jee, 51.81 seconds
2. Alex Vasquez '27, 53.18

50 free
1. Nathaniel Taft, 20.65 seconds (school record)
3. Ben Howell, 22.15

100 free
1. Taft, 45.38 seconds (school, pool records)
3. Vasquez, 49.25

100 back
3. Jee, 54.96 seconds

100 breast
2. Hake, 1:01.13
3. Chidley, 1:01.55

500 free
2. Ethan Chiu '24, 5:04.27
4. Luke Engel '25, 5:10.62

50 fly
1. Jee, 23.35 seconds
4. Vasquez, 24.18

400 individual medley
2. Roche, 4:17.68

200 free relay
1. Hamilton (Taft, Wiemeyer, Howell, Ethan del Rosario), 1:25.34

NEXT MEET
Hamilton competes in Ithaca College's Bomber Invitational. The meet starts on Friday, Dec. 1 and runs through Sunday, Dec. 3.