WATERVILLE, Maine – Nathaniel Taft '27 continued the best season by a Hamilton College male swimmer in the last 20 years on the fourth and final day of the 2024 NESCAC Men's Swimming & Diving Championships at the Colby College Aquatic Center on Sunday, Feb. 25.
 
The Continentals finished in ninth place out of 11 teams. Five conference members are ranked in the most recent College Swimming Coaches Association of America Division III Top 25 poll.
 
Taft was a winner in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 43.71 seconds in the championship final. He put in an even more spectacular performance in the morning's preliminary heats when he set team, pool and meet records with a time of 43.57 seconds. Taft's time also made an NCAA championships 'B' cut.
 
Taft led off the 400 free relay that ended up in fifth place with an NCAA 'B' cut time of 3:00.96. Taft, Henry Wiemeyer '26, Alex Vasquez '27 and Ben Howell '24 broke the team record that had stood since 2000 by almost four seconds.
 
Hamilton swimmers set team records in a total of 11 events, including all five relays, during these championships. The Continentals made NCAA 'B' cuts in five events including two of the three free relays.
 
TOP PERFORMANCES

1,650 Freestyle
11. Luke Engel '25, 16:16.35
24. Ethan Chiu '24, 16:55.10

200 Backstroke
21. Oliver Jackson '27, 1:53.73 (5th in preconsolation final, 1:53.69 in prelims)

100 Freestyle
1. Nathaniel Taft '27, 43.71 seconds (team, pool and meet record, and NCAA 'B' cut of 43.57 in prelims)
21. Ben Howell '24, 46.28 (5th in preconsolation final, 46.08 in prelims)

200 Butterfly
22. Steven Roche '27, 1:54.35 (6th in preconsolation final)

400 Freestyle Relay
5. Taft, Henry Wiemeyer '26, Alex Vasquez '27, Howell (3:00.96, team record and NCAA 'B' cut)

TEAM SCORES (11 teams)
1. Williams 1,898.5
2. Tufts 1,730.5
3. Amherst 1,065.5
9. Hamilton 577