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The Howard University Swim Team received the key to the City of Eatonville for their historic season. Howard’s Division I swim team is the only HBCU team to compete at that level.
“I am so excited. I am honored to be receiving the key to the city today. I just want to thank God for all the blessings and all he’s done for me,” said a Howard University swim team member.
“Almost speechless, and that’s hard to do for me. When they reached out to us and said that, it just solidifies the work we do. The work we do is hard; being D1 is a difficult task,” said Swim Coach Nic Askew.
As the conference championship quickly approaches, the team is preparing at the Rosen Aquatic Center in Florida. They expressed their gratitude to the center for letting them train as well as what the training process has been like.
“Training has been super hard. I think it’s definitely getting us ready for conference and building us up mentally, physically, and emotionally as swimmers and as people in general,” said Howard University Swim Team Member Alana Josey.
“As an alum, it couldn’t make me prouder because when I was a part of the program, we didn’t have opportunities like this. Either we couldn’t afford it, or the resources weren’t available. Now, with my coaching staff and amazing support from our family and alumni, we’re able to provide these opportunities to be in this beautiful facility,” said Coach Askew.
The team made history back in 2023 by receiving championship rings for winning the Northeastern Conference, their first time winning in 30 years. The says that they want to continue building their legacy while also honoring those that came before them to inspire the next generation of Black swimmers.
“It’s really special. We want to contribute to the legacy of the people that came here before us and made it even possible for us,” said Howard University Swim Team member Tristan Stevens.
“I love being a part of a team that looks like me, that goes through the same ups and downs as me, the same obstacles as me, and it really just brings us closer together,” said Josey.
“Just remembering we are historic and paving the way for future Black Americans to also learn how to swim,” said another Howard University Swim Team member.
