MIDDLEBURY, Vt. -- The Bates men's swimming and diving team got the NESCAC Championships off to a record-breaking start Thursday at Middlebury College.

Sophomore John Weigel (Iowa City, Iowa) opened the 800-yard freestyle relay with the fastest 200-yard freestyle swim in Bates history, recording a split of 1:38.64. Weigel's time broke his own school record and set the Bobcats up for success. The Bates 'A' team of Weigel, first-year Nate Oppenheim (Easton, Conn.), sophomore Liam Friedlander (Pittsburgh, Pa.), and sophomore Tim Johnson (Brewster, Mass.) took fifth place out of 22 teams in the event with their time of 6:40.65, more than 14 seconds faster than their seed time.

Overall, all eight Bobcat swimmers recorded lifetime best splits as the two Bates 800-yard freestyle relay teams combined for 58 points -- good for seventh out of 11 schools -- and only six points out of fourth place with three days remaining.

The first full day of competition at the NESCAC Championships is Friday, with prelims at 10 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m.