WATERVILLE, Maine – Matthew Chang '28 led the Hamilton College Continentals at the 2026 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Men's Swimming & Diving Championships inside the Colby College Aquatics Center on Saturday, Feb. 21.
 
Chang broke three individual team records and led off a 200-yard medley relay that set another team record. He earned the NESCAC title in the 100 backstroke with an NCAA championships 'B' cut time of 48.07 seconds and smashed his own record in the event by nearly two seconds. Chang was the third Hamilton swimmer that finished first in the 100 back at the conference meet, joining Todd Johnson '08 (2007, 2008) and Eric Schwenker '02 (2001, 2002).
 
Chang set another record in the 100 butterfly with a time of 49.59 seconds in an exhibition swim. Jack Jee '24 had held the old record of 49.96 seconds since 2023. Finally, Chang led off the 200 medley relay with a time of 22.85 seconds, which edged the previous record of 22.98 seconds set by Nathaniel Taft '27 in a dual meet at Trinity College with Colby in November 2025.
 
Chang was joined on the medley relay by Matthew Hake '26, Alex Vasquez '27 and Taft. Their time of 1:29.50 eclipsed the former team record of 1:29.73 with the same lineup at last year's NESCAC championships.
 
The Continentals moved up from eighth place to sixth in the team standings with 596.5 points. The meet's fourth and final day begins at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22 with the preliminary heats. Due to anticipated inclement weather impacting the Northeast, the finals will start at 1:45 p.m. instead of 5:30.
 
TOP PERFORMANCES
 
200 Medley Relay
6. Matthew Chang '28, Matthew Hake '26, Alex Vasquez '27, Nathaniel Taft '27 (1:29.50, team record)
 
100 Butterfly
16. Josh Smith '26, 50.00 (8^th in conso final; 49.89 in prelims)
24. Vasquez, 51.67 (8^th in preconso final; 50.78 in prelims)
Chang, 49.59 in exhibition (team record)
 
400 Individual Medley
15. Jaiden Xu '29, 4:05.31 (7^th in conso final; 4:05.25 in prelims)
 
200 Freestyle
8. Loui Chambon '28, 1:40.18 (1:39.41 in prelims)
13. Taft, 1:41.46 (5^th in conso final; 1:40.12 in prelims)
21. Henry Wiemeyer '26, 1:41.25 (5^th in preconso final; 1:41.22 in prelims)
23. Steven Roche '27, 1:42.86 (7^th in preconso final; 1:41.30 in prelims)
 
100 Breaststroke
11. Hake, 55.90 (3^rd in conso final)
14. Ben Chidley '27, 56.30 (6^th in conso final)
T19. Sebastian van Wanroy '26, 56.64 (tie for 3^rd in preconso final)
 
100 Backstroke
1. Chang, 48.07 (team record, NCAA 'B' cut)
12. Calvin Meeker '29, 51.03 (4^th in conso final)
13. Flynn McDonnell '28, 51.15 (5^th in conso final; 51.13 in prelims)
14. William Roth '28, 51.34 (6^th in conso final; 51.15 in prelims)