First-year swimmer Owen Vale was crowned NESCAC champion in the 400-yard individual medley and earned Rookie of the Year honors at the NESCAC Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships.
Vale set a new NESCAC record in the 400 IM with a winning time of 3:50.78, more than a second better than the previous record, and became the first Amherst swimmer to win the NESCAC title in that event since 2010. The Avon, Connecticut, native finished second in the 200-yard individual medley, qualifying for the NCAA Championships in both IM events. Vale also placed fourth in the 200-yard butterfly and anchored Amherst’s fifth-place 800-yard freestyle relay team.
Vale has already broken the Amherst school records in the 100 IM, 200 IM and 400 IM. The rookie set the Amherst pool record in the 100 IM earlier this season and set the Colby pool record in the 400 IM at the NESCAC Championships.
