Courtsey of Brian Beard

Last week, the men’s swimming and diving team traveled to Middlebury College for the NESCAC Championship. After four competitive days, Bowdoin finished seventh overall with 828 points. While the Polar Bears missed a podium finish, many swimmers and relays took home hardware.

After placing ninth in the 800 free relay with a time of 6:48.00 on Thursday, the 200 freestyle relay team of Raphael Grand’Pierre ’27, Penn Lee ’25, Alex Grand’Pierre ’25 and Jack Tran ’26 rebounded Friday with a program-best 1:21.53, securing third place.

Later that evening, Tran and Alex Grand’Pierre returned to the pool, winning respective NESCAC titles in the 50 Butterfly and 50 Breaststroke. Tran set a pool and school record with a 21.67 in his championship swim, and Alex Grand’Pierre took the 50 Breastroke title for the fourth year in a row with 24.91 seconds.

“Winning for my fourth year in a row has been a special achievement for me. Each win represents a different version of myself, facing a different set of challenges, with a different set of teammates, and it’s been so moving for me to compete at a high level each time,” Alex Grand’Pierre said. “This weekend was an incredible farewell to a sport and team that has meant so much to me throughout my life. I’m so grateful to have walked away with a smile and one last win.”

Tran remained dominant, placing fourth in the 50 backstroke with a time of 22.62. Liam Roehr ’25 won the consolation final swimming a 23.15, and Owen Weller finished sixteenth with a 24.26.

Weller, a top-ten scorer amongst the Polar Bears, dropped over half a second from his previous best in the 50 backstroke.

“My 50 Back was probably my favorite race of the meet. I dropped a ton of time, made the B final, and I felt like my performance set the tone for my meet and showed me that all my work had paid off,” Weller said.

Following his impressive 200-yard freestyle relay leg, Raphael Grand’Pierre swam a fifth-place time of 20.61 in the 50 free.

“I was really focusing on enjoying the present moment and having a good time with the people I’m racing with. To me, it was a big moment for the Bowdoin family. I had my parents there cheering me on, my sister as well, and all the Bowdoin guys got behind the block and cheered for me right before the race.… It just got me amped and ready to go and excited,” Raphael Grand’Pierre said.

Raphael Grand’Pierre also swam and won the 100 free and 100 fly consolation finals with a time of 45.63 and 48.75, respectively. His 100 fly time also broke the school record. Just behind Raphael Grand’Pierre was Lee, who swam in the 100-free consolation final, finishing twelfth with a time of 45.99.

Lee credited his calm mindset for giving him a competitive edge.

“While it was my last individual race as a swimmer, I didn’t try to take it too seriously. Before my race, I reminded myself you can’t really think too much, because at this point, when everyone’s tired, you just have to do the best you can to get your head in the game, because if you’re not into racing, then you’re not going to go anywhere,” Lee said.

Kicking off Saturday finals, the men’s 200-yard medley relay finished fifth place. Roehr, Alex Grand’Pierre, Tran and Lee swam a time of 1:29.27.

Alex Grand’Pierre placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 54.73, and shortly after, Roehr swam a 50.00 second 100 back in the consolation final to finish tenth overall.

“I really took my time to enjoy every aspect of the race from my meet warmup routine, to getting hyped up behind the blocks and finally giving my teammates high-fives when I got back to our section,” Alex Grand’Pierre said.

Later, Roehr won the 200 back consolation final with a time of 1:48.57, while Weller swam a personal best 1:54.05 for 14th, adding crucial points to the team’s tally.

Weller faced one of the toughest challenges of his life when a major leg surgery threatened to sideline him indefinitely. Yet, rather than letting the setback define him, he embraced the struggle.

“On a personal level, NESCACs blew away my expectations. I had major leg surgery this year and have had illness throughout the season, so it was super rewarding to be able to have the best meet and season of my life despite all the obstacles I had to overcome,” Weller said.

To close out the championship, Raphael Grand’Pierre, Lee, Peters and Tran took 5th in the 400 free relay at 3:00.92.

“I was really happy to be on the relay with some great people and most importantly, the future of the team,” Lee said. “I’m really excited to see how they do in the future, because they’re all great people, and I feel like I was just lucky to have the opportunity to swim with them for my last race.”

As the season wraps up, several swimmers and relay teams have obtained NCAA B-cut times, and the NCAA will announce official selections in the coming week.