Senior Mike Kiedel did not have to wait long to gain a little respect for himself and the Harvard men's swimming team.

In the second event of the NCAA Championships, Kiedel placed fifth in the 500-meter freestyle, setting marks of 4:19.30 in trials and 4:20.25 in the finals. With his trial time, Kiedel established a new Harvard record.

But he did not stop there.

In his final meet, Kiedel's efforts resulted in the shattering of four school records last weekend.

Kiedel continued to astound the Nationals crowd when he set a new mark in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:34.94.

He then infused a little drama into the 800-meter freestyle relay. Harvard found itself in sixth place in the relay after three legs, but Kiedel surged past three swimmers in the anchor leg. This secured third place for the Crimson and another record for Kiedel, a 6:25.92.

Kiedel termed the event "our defining moment," as the Crimson surpassed Stanford and numerous schools that grant athletic scholarships in the relay.

With a 2:55.75 finish in the 400-meter freestyle relay, the Crimson and Kiedel set yet another record.

Kiedel's stirring performance helped propel Harvard to an 11th-place finish out of the 37 top Division I schools which competed at Nationals.

Harvard enjoyed its highest finish ever in the tournament. Somehow, it seemed fitting that Kiedel's memorable culmination of four years enabled Harvard to its most memorable culmination of the NCAAs.