GREENSBORO, N.C. – Hamilton College's Nathaniel Taft '27 finished in second place in the men's 200-yard freestyle on the second day of the 2024 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center on Thursday, March 21.
 
Taft posted the sixth-fastest time out of 46 athletes in the morning's time trials with a time of 1:37.69. His performance qualified him for the evening's championship final.
 
Taft got off to a fast start in the championship final as he led the eight-man race after the first 50 yards (21.75 seconds) and at the halfway mark (45.75). He slipped ever so slightly in the third lap and fell 15 one-hundredths of a second behind The College of New Jersey's James McChesney (1:10.90).
 
Taft ended up with a time of 1:36.43, which was just .21 off his team-record time from the NESCAC championships in February. He has accounted for 30 team points. McChesney, who won this event and set a Division III record with a time of 1:34.74 in 2023, made it two in a row with a time of 1:34.95.
 
Taft swims his last race on Saturday, March 23 when he competes in the 100 free. Jade Matthias '26 swims in the women's 100 backstroke on Friday, March 22. Matthias will be in lane four in the third heat. The event is expected to get underway by 10:35 a.m.