Every Tuesday throughout the swimming & diving season, the NESCAC Performers of the Week will be announced. 

Men’s Swimming & Diving Performer of the Week
John Weigel – Bates - Jr. – Iowa City, Iowa
Weigel had a breakthrough meet for the Bobcats at the Maine State Invitational. The junior won the 200 IM (152.5) and 200 freestyle (1:40.4), both with impressive touch-outs and both meet records. Weigel also placed second in the 100 freestyle with a lifetime best swim of 44.9. He was at his best for the team with the fastest splits on the 200 and 400 free relays (19.75 and 44.09).  Weigel also tried out the 50 backstroke and led off the 200 medley relay with a 22.7 split, helping the team post the seventh-best time in Division III.

NESCAC Honor Roll
Amherst – Owen Vale (Avon, Conn.)had a great meet against Conn. College and Coast Guard last weekend, posting a notable exhibition time of 1:53.36 in the 200 IM, winning the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:51.31, finishing second in the 200 backstroke (1:54.46), and winning the 400IM in a time of 3:57.27.

Bates – John Weigel (Iowa City, Iowa) had a breakthrough meet for the Bobcats at the Maine State Invitational. The junior won the 200 IM (152.5) and 200 freestyle (1:40.4), both with impressive touch-outs and both meet records. Weigel also placed second in the 100 freestyle with a lifetime best swim of 44.9. He was at his best for the team with the fastest splits on the 200 and 400 free relays (19.75 and 44.09).  Weigel also tried out the 50 backstroke and led off the 200 medley relay with a 22.7 split, helping the team post the seventh-best time in Division III.

Bowdoin - Chase Shapiro (Bradenton, Fla.) had a strong showing at the Maine Collegiate Invitational. The sophomore was second in three events - the 500 freestyle (4:39.21), the 400 IM (4:12.63), and the 1650 freestyle (15:59.98). Shapiro also swam a best time in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle in addition to strong swims in the 200 freestyle, 100 butterfly,  and 200 butterfly.

Colby – At the Maine Collegiate Invitational, Brendan Kirberger (Monroe, Conn.) played a crucial role in helping Colby bring home the Maine State Title by winning the 500 freestyle (4:36.09) and the 1650 freestyle (15:54.94), a personal best by 17 seconds. Both swims set meet records. The rookie also placed fourth in the 200  freestyle (1:42.49), 16th in the 50 freestyle, 14th in the 100 freestyle and posted a split of 46.71 on the Mules’ B 400 medley relay.

Conn. College - Evan Lyons (Longmeadow, Mass.) won the 1650 and 1000 freestyle races in the Camels’ two wins versus Amherst and Coast Guard.  The sophomore’s 1650 time of 15:35.22 was an NCAA B-Cut and a lifetime best.

Hamilton – Loui Chambon (Grenoble, France) enjoyed a great meet at the MIT Invitational, posting the following times/splits in five events: 200 freestyle (1:40.09), 1650 freestyle (16:37.74), 500 freestyle (4:36.99), 100 freestyle relay split (45.43), and 50 backstroke (23.98).

Trinity – Patrick Cadogan (Sudbury, Mass.) made a mark at the Jayden Szkirka Memorial Cup at Wesleyan. The senior swam personal bests in every freestyle event he swam and season bests in both his backstroke leadoff relays. Cadogan started the meet off by leading off the 200 freestyle relay in a 22.67 split, then an hour later, went faster in the individual with a time of 22.64. The next day, Cadogan swam the 200 freestyle and finished with a best time of 1:50.27. Later in the day, he broke 50 seconds for the first time in the 100 freestyle with a time of 49.34 and led off the 400 freestyle relay, shaving off .02 for another best time.

Tufts - Rafae Shafi (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) raced in nine events over the course of the three-day MIT Invitational and posted all-season bests and some lifetime best performances. The junior helped Tufts finish second out of seven teams at the meet. Highlights in Shafi’s performances were a second-place finish in the 200 freestyle (1:38.51) and a third-place finish in the 500 freestyle (4:35.60). Shafi also swam lifetime bests in the 200 butterfly (1:49.09) and 100 backstroke (50.23) and lifetime bests splits for the 400 medley relay (fly-49.46) and 400 freestyle relay (45.17) teams.

Wesleyan – Beau Chan (New York, N.Y.) was Wesleyan’s standout performer this past weekend, posting season-best times in every event he swam. The first-year opened with a 21.4 split on the 200 freestyle relay, followed by a strong 1:58 in the 200 IM, and a 51.4 butterfly split on the 400 medley relay. In the next session, Chan delivered a time of 52.5 in the 100 butterfly flat start—just one second off his lifetime best—and finished fourth in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:57.8.

Williams - Gabe Lee (Lexington, Mass.) put together an exceptional meet, earning seven first-place finishes, including four individual victories. The senior won the 50 freestyle in at time of 21.02, the 200 freestyle (1:41.04), the 100 backstroke (50.28), and the 200 backstroke (1:50.52), showing impressive versatility across sprint and mid-distance events. Lee also contributed to four winning relays, helping power the 200 freestyle relay, posting a 45.87 split on the 400 freestyle relay, delivering a 49.47 backstroke leg on the 400 medley relay, and opening the 200 medley relay with a strong 23.36 backstroke split.