The men’s swim team at Howard University has some new bling to show off. After winning the Northeast Conference championship in February, the HBCU athletic squad finally received their rings on Oct. 6 to commemorate the hard-earned honor.
The team was already making history before the win, as Howard is the only HBCU in the country with a swim team, as confirmed by WUSA9. The title is especially significant to the team as it is also their first in over 30 years.
At the ring ceremony, the team was met with much applause, as head coach Nicholas Askew described the “magical” moment of solidifying their accomplishment through this event.
“It’s magical because typically, in our sport, we don’t get a chance to stop and do this,” detailed Askew. “So we make sure that we take care of our student-athletes and show them how much we value them.”
“This team
was about to be cut way, way back,” revealed Langston Weddington, a senior from Marietta, Georgia, who competes in the breast, individual medley, and free races. “And then Coach Nick came in, turned it all around and brought us all in. We were part of the team to bring a lot of light to the University, do a lot, and get a lot of attention out there that we really can swim and we are great at it. It’s very special for us.”Coach Askew also spoke to reporters about this accomplishment’s impact on “representation” for the Black community.
“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,” expressed the athletic leader.
The school, which also requires a swim course for its College of Arts and Sciences students to graduate, is uplifting its student-athletes
in this sport as the team eyes more rings in the future.“And I really just say stay tuned and keep watching what we do because we’re going to be on some more headlines,” shared Weddington. “We’re going to be making a lot more waves in and out of the water.”
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