WASHINGTON (October 4, 2025) - The Howard University women's swimming & diving team put together a strong showing at the Battle at the Burr IV Saturday afternoon, but ultimately fell just short against local rival Georgetown, 118–106, in Burr Natatorium.
The Bison earned six first-place finishes; plus, multiple second and third-place finishes, in a closely contested meet from start to finish.
Howard set the tone for the day with an energizing start, seizing the first swimming event win in the 200-yard medley relay. The Bison's B relay team consisting of
Myeisha Sharrieff (Bermuda),
Brooke Whitt (Chicago),
Alyssa Napier (Wilmington, Del.) and
Gabrielle Vickles (El Dorado, Trinidad & Tobago) made a statement by finishing first in 1:45.06, outpacing Georgetown's A squad by over a second (1:46.74). The enthusiastic home crowd erupted as Howard's C relay also claimed third (1:51.32), showcasing the team's impressive depth early on.
Standout
Zuilda Nwaeze (Columbia, Md.) added another early victory for the Bison in the 200-yard free, clocking in at 1:53.50 to hold off the Hoya runner-up (1:54.11) in a tight finish. Nwaeze later returned to anchor the final relay of the afternoon.
Howard's sprint corps continued the strong start in the 50 free with Vickles taking the win in 24.58, followed closely by teammate
Jasmine Morgan (Chicago), who touched in 24.97 to secure a 1-2 finish for the Bison.
In the 100-yard fly,
Samyra Benoit (Santa Clarita, Calif.) claimed second place with a time of 58.66, followed closely by newcomer
Zenya Posada (Norwalk, Conn.), whose 59.90 earned her third.
The Bison picked up more critical points in the 100-yard free where Napier swam a strong 52.56 to finish second with fellow newcomer
Mia Patton (Nassau, Bahamas) placing third (55.70).
Howard's strength in the backstroke came through in the 100-yard back where
Chanice Posada (Houston) led the field with a winning time of 56.40, more than a second ahead of her Georgetown opponent (57.80).
The most dominant 1-2 finish of the meet came in the 100-yard breast where two Bison newcomers turned heads.
Rhanishka Gibbs (Nassau, Bahamas) took the win in 1:05.86, just edging out Whitt, who finished second in 1:05.91, giving Howard a big points boost heading into the final stretch.
In the fan-favorite 200-yard freestyle relay, the Bison A-team closed the meet on a high note. The group of Morgan, Vickles, Posada and Nwaeze delivered a time of 1:35.10 to claim first place. Howard's B relay followed closely in 1:37.24, edging Georgetown's A-team by just over half a second to complete another 1-2 finish for the home squad.
Next, the Bison head to the Sunshine State (Oct. 10-11) to compete in the Osprey Beach Blast Invite.
For more information, visit the official Howard Athletics website
www.hubison.com.
