Howard University’s swim team just won their first championship in more than 30 years, People reports.
Finishing as runner-ups last year, this HBCU’s men’s swim team headed to Geneva, Ohio last week for a five-day competition that resulted in them accumulating 928 points, winning the title by a 169-point margin.
“Don’t count the laps, make the laps count” is the motto, according to Nicholas Askew, Howard University’s swim coach and previous swim student. His team did just that with Miles Simon setting more than seven records and earning the title of Outstanding Swimmer while Jordan Walker was named Outstanding Diver after earning 44.45 points over the runner-up.
Askew told ABCNews that the title is just a culmination of hard work. In the meantime, the team hopes to inspire other Black athletes. “Howard can’t be the only place, the only option because we only have so many roster spots,” Askew told CNN. “There are so many people we unfortunately can’t have at Howard to be able to swim.”
According to NEC, the NEC Championship concluded with a new record in the 400 yard freestyle relay. “It just feels phenomenal to know that there’s this group of young men and young women who believed that it was possible,” Askew continued.
A championship isn’t the only accomplishment Howard’s swim team is celebrating; they recently became the first all-Black swim team featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. With only 2% of Black swimmers competing at the collegiate level, according to The Grio, kudos to Howard University for changing the narrative and making history in the process.
Congratulations, Bison! You all deserve it.