Howard's Swim Team Makes Collegiate Sports History

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Black folks can swim. At Howard University, they are also setting Division I records. The HU swim team just won its second Northeast Conference Championship title in the last three years.

“We’re standing as a representation, especially to the Black and Brown community. Swimming can lead to so many different avenues, including a championship, which it has for us,” Howard’s coach, Nicholas Askew, said, per Blavity. 

HU became the only Division I HBCU competing in water sports after North Carolina A&T’s women’s swim team disbanded in 2016. The coed swim team excelled in several events at the meet in Geneva, Ohio, taking the 400-yard free relay to secure the victory. The divers helped by going one, two, and three in the 3-meter dive, with senior Jay Swilley taking first, Jordan Walker coming in second, and freshman Zion Wilson taking third place.

The Bison will compete again at the CSCAA National Invitational Championships in Ocala, Florida, from March 13 to 15.

The women’s swim team finished second in their competition. For Askew, the team’s success is about more than just competitions. A Howard alumni who graduated in 2001, he came back to coach the team after graduating.

In a study done by the USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis in conjunction with the YMCA, it was discovered that 64% of Black children can’t swim, and they drown at three times the rate of white children.

“We need to place more value on swimming as a community and as a culture and escape the old mentality that Black people don’t swim,” Askew told Howard Magazine. “The difference at Howard is that not only do we value swimming as a competitive sport, but more importantly, we see the lack of swimming skills and drowning as major public health issues.”

Howard University’s Swim Team Makes Collegiate Sports History With Latest NCAA Championship Win  was originally published on ionecassius.staging.go.ione.nyc