GENEVA, Ohio — The championship title has been defended. Howard University men's swimming & diving team captured its third NEC Championship in four years Saturday night at the SPIRE Institute, finishing off a composed and complete team performance across the four-day meet.

Howard opened the night with distance points from Jack Barr (Nassau, Bahamas) who placed 5th in the 1650 Freestyle earning the Bison 14 points. Solomon Goins (Dallas, TX), added points early placing seventh in the same event (16:40.32), securing 12 additional points to steady the team standings.

In the championship final, Ameer Bashir (Hartly, Del.) placed fourth overall in 1:51.74, earning 15 points. Darien Williams (Philadelphia, PA) followed behind coming in at 1:52.18 to round out the top 15.

Howard added depth scoring in the consolation final, with Ty Triche (Humble, TX) finishing 9th in 1:56.18 to continue building separation.

The sprint final proved pivotal in securing the championship. Taj Benton (Baltimore, Md.) touched fourth in 45.31, while Jalen Stewart (New Castle, DE) followed in seventh at 46.10. Ibrahima Diouf (Arlington, VA) added 11 more points to the board after coming in at 46.84. 

Sophomore Mark Brown contributed 14 points in the 200-Breaststroke after a fifth place finish 2:02.76. Ayrton Moncur (Nassau, Bahamas) and Kaleb James (Durham, NC) also garnered points in the event, keeping the Bison ahead.

Standout swimmer Mason Green earned silver in the 200-Fly for 17 points. Goins came in fourth with a time of 1:50.91.

The Bison closed out this year's events with a bronze finish in the 400 Medley Relay (3:00.54).

With points tallied and teammates lining the deck in anticipation, Howard secured the conference crown — reaffirming its place among the NEC's elite and completing another championship chapter in program history.

For more information, visit the official Howard Athletics website at www.hubison.com.