WASHINGTON (October 3, 2019) – Howard University men's & women's swimming and diving teams open their 2019-20 campaign in The District, beginning Friday (Oct. 4) with the annual Potomac Relays at American University. First race starts at 3 p.m. The following day (Oct. 5), HU hosts Virginia Military Institute (VMI) for its home opener inside Burr Pool. The meet begins at 1 p.m.
SEASON PREVIEW
Howard head coach
Nicholas Askew enters his sixth season at the helm, looking to build upon a year ago.
Last season, the Bison saw its first NCAA Qualifier in more than a decade after junior diver
Christian Nickolas (Brentwood, Calif.) made the Field of 64. Additionally, the California native earned a spot on the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-Academic Team, accumulating a 3.52 grade point average.
On the men's side, third-year swimmer
Kegan Ford (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago) ended his sophomore campaign at the 2019 CSCAA National Invitational Championships where he represented HU in the men's 50 Free and 100 Free.
This season, HU welcomes 19 Bison (10 men and nine women) to a veteran cast, led by seniors
Leanne McMaster (Kingston, Jamaica),
Noah Nicholas (Atlanta),
Maalik Nixon (Peachtree City, Ga.),
Skylar Smith (Los Angeles) and
Andreas Weech (Nassau, Bahamas).
MEET PREVIEWS
POTOMAC RELAYS
In April 1987, the swimming pool inside the Reeves Aquatic Center was dedicated in honor of Robert H. Frailey, who served as the head swim coach at AU for 16 seasons before taking the position of Director of Athletics, a title which he held for 23 years. As the swimming coach, Frailey guided his Eagles to six conference championships.
Each of the nine events will be relays, with some traditional (200-yard medley relay, 200 freestyle relay) and non-traditional (3x100 butterfly, 2x500 freestyle) events being contested.
Last season, the HU men took third overall while the Bison women claimed fourth.
VMI
VMI men seek to build on last year's success, going 6-6 overall. A year ago, the Keydet started strong, winning four out of their first five meets, including a 157.5-75.5 victory over Howard.
VMI women enter the new year looking to bounce back from a tough 2018-19 season, winning only two meets at Old Dominion, 240-39, and versus Randolph College, 181-36. Last season, the Keydets lost to Howard, 136-91, in Lexington, Va.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
On Oct. 19, Howard travels to Murfreesboro, N.C. for a duel meet against Chowan. First race is set for 1 p.m.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at
www.HUBison.com.
