There’s only one all-Black collegiate swim team in the United States, and it’s at Howard University.

This month, the HU Bison swim and dive teams graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in honor of Black History Month, challenging the long-held myth that Black people aren’t skilled swimmers.

Coached by HU alum Nicholas Askew, the Bison men’s and women’s teams compete at the Division I level in the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA). After a 15-year losing streak, Askew has assembled a talented roster that has the program making waves both in and out of the pool.

“This is about our mission as a university and the message we want to send as an HBCU,” Askew told Sports Illustrated in 2023.
“This isn’t a bunch of Black people in a pool; it’s young Black men and women succeeding in a sport that, for years, has shut them out of this experience.”

A Legacy of Exclusion

Historically, Black Americans faced systemic barriers to swimming. In the 1920s and 1930s, segregation and a lack of public pools in Black neighborhoods kept many Black children from learning to swim. Even after the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision allowed Black Americans to use the same facilities as white people, many white communities built private pools and country clubs, perpetuating barriers.

Today, 58% of African American children cannot swim, according to USA Swimming. This statistic helps explain why swimming remains one of the few competitive sports where Black athletes are underrepresented.

“There’s a social element that’s emphasized in every part of what we do as a school, and our swim program fits that larger goal,” HU President Wayne A.I. Frederick told Sports Illustrated. “It’s about going into the wider world, seeing inequities and closing them down.”

African Americans make up only 1% of registered competitive swimmers. Trailblazers in the sport include Anthony Nesty, the first Black Olympic swimmer to win gold in 1988; Simone Manuel, the first African American woman to win Olympic gold in 2016; and Cullen Jones, the first Black swimmer to hold a world record.

Rising Stars at Howard

The HU Burr Gymnasium Pool, once a quiet facility, now regularly fills its 2,000-seat capacity for sold-out swim meets.

Askew, recently inducted into the Howard University Athletic Hall of Fame, has attracted top recruits from across the globe, including Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Texas, and Philadelphia. During his induction, he reflected:

“This world and this nation are full of opportunities, and opportunities should be for everyone.”

For the Bison swim schedule and ticket information, visit the Howard University Athletics website.

Howard University’s swim and dive team, the only team of its kind in the nation

By Alaina Coats

Updated November 1, 2025