In a ceremony on Wednesday, members of the Howard University Swimming and Diving teams were awarded the Key to the City of Eatonville, Florida.
Though Howard is based in Washington, DC, the swim and dive teams travel to Florida for their annual training trip during the school’s winter break, training at the Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center in Orlando, only about 15 miles south of Eatonville.
Howard is among the only Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU) to have a swimming and diving program competing at the NCAA Division I level. In recent years, under Head Coach Nicholas Askew, the program has seen unprecedented levels of success. In 2023, the Bison men took home the program’s first conference championship title, finishing the season as the Northeast Conference (NEC) Men’s Champions, narrowly finishing as the runners-up at the 2024 Championships. The women’s team also posted their program’s highest finish at the 2024 NEC Championships, coming in as the runners-up.
Askew commented on the honor of receiving the Key to the City, “[I’m] Almost speechless, and that’s hard to do for me. When they [the City of Eatonville] 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.”
An alumni of Howard himself, Askew also showed appreciation to the opportunities provided to his athletes, “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.”
Askew has notably made significant efforts to popularize the sport of swimming, specifically NCAA swimming, to the general public. In 2022, he introduced a swimming showcase known as the “Battle at the Burr”, which was met with record-breaking attendance and featured a DJ. In years since, the team has hosted several other dual meets following the same concept, yielding consistent attendance and national recognition.
Several Howard swimmers also showed appreciation to the City of Eatonville for the honor, with one swimmer stating, “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.” Another member commented on the legacy of the program as the only HBCU to swim at the Division I level, “We are historic and paving the way for future Black Americans to also learn how to swim.”
