The first 14 Bison to arrive are thrilled to be in the Sunshine State.

arrived in beautiful Ft. Myers, Florida. 

Throughout this week, we hope to provide a sneak peak at some the sights and nuances of our rugged training, cohesive team-building and life and vigor that our squad brings to every opportunity.

Today, the wind was humming on the Florida Gulf Coast pool deck, but the water temperature was a very comfortable 80 degrees Fahrenheit.  We were a bit late arriving to SW Florida, so we could only get about 3300 meters in, but it was a good start.  After practice, we checked back into our hotels, ate, bought some groceries and are now ready and prepared for tomorrow morning’s first practice.

The official press release to the meet can be found here.

The highlights for the Bison are as follows:

Chelsea Andrews - soph. – Had an awesome 100 fly leadoff split of in snatching the lead-off leg of the 300 butterfly relay – excellent 100 IM and 200 free relay anchor.
Lauren Anthony – junior captain – two great anchor legs in her 50 free have her continuing from last season’s superb finish
E’lan Brewer - soph. – Very smooth 200 and 150 freestyle, a big part of the sixth place 200 free relay
Camille Dykes – fresh. – Impressive 800 free relay anchor after having just swum 200 medley relay, very promising IM sprint, as well
Janai Ederaine – fresh. – Nice 800 free leadoff leg, wonderful 50 free split in the mighty 200 free relay
Cachanda Evans – junior – 50 and 100 fly legs look very strong, battled well in the final 2 freestyle relays
Monique Major – senior captain – determined 50 breaststroke leg as well as some undiscovered potential in the 50 freestyle
Summer Davis - soph. – very good anchor leg of 300 butterfly relay, nice spark in the 4×100 IM relay
 
Darell Hungerford – fresh – powerful all-around swims with note-worthy 50 free and 50 breaststroke splits
Zadok Isaacs - soph – put-up some terrific splits in his 100 butterfly and blazing 200 free relay split
Steven Lott – junior captain – marvelous 50 fly and 50 free splits with a 100 back time that sets-up nicely for the year
Frank Lynch – fresh. – tackled tough slate of events with a much-improved 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly
Omar McKenzie – senior captain – precursor to a sensational season with near-best times in the 50 free and 100 butterfly
Justin Morrison – senior captain – awesome 500 freestyle split with an immediate 50 free anchor blitz
Damjan Strbac – senior – two dynamite 50 free anchor splits by poised veteran presence.
Darien Washington - soph. – efficient 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke legs capped with a resolute 50 free split.

It was not enough for our kids to swim well on Friday.  We turned around the next morning, some of us at 6:45AM, to embark on a solid practice that you can find in our Workout of the Week.  With the cool autumn air giving way to the bright sunshine of Burr, our team trained exceptionally well that morning, primed for the next challenge in front of them.

It's great having natural lighting on beautiful days.

Our fifth week has already begun.  Our dryland schedule continues to be rigorous, challenging and quite rewarding.  Our group dynamics continue to become smoother.  Our rusty fundamentals and morphing into powerful assets for handling challenging sets.  And our focus on our competitors is in full throttle.  We understand that October is not supposed to be a walk in the park.  It’s very satisfying, though, to know just how far we’ve come in one year and how we are willing to work for our success.  This week we have THREE 5AM practices to go along with our regular afternoon routine.  It’s not easy, but if it were easy, everyone would do it.  That’s what’s separates the exceptional from just the good. 

Until then…thanks for checking up on us.

While most are still in bed, we are getting more and more in-shape. Check out the time on the big board...

This morning was our first required 5AM practice for all members of team (our third 5AM practice to date.)  Our primary focus was on butterfly technique and core work.    There were some good swims and a lot of encouragement to go around the deck.

We will continue to keep you updated on our practices that finish even before the sun rises.  This team deserves quite a lot of credit for having the discipline and ambition to make these sacrifices.  Our next morning practice won’t be until this Saturday morning, but that will begin a few hours after this one. 

We are over two full weeks into the official season and looking better every day!  It’s going to be a fantastic 2010-2011.

These Bison took time from their Labor Day to train one final time outdoors.

We were very fortunate to spend some quality training time in the facility across the street to prepare for our regular season.  Our captains did an excellent job preparing workouts for the team and everyone that attended agreed that there’s nothing quite like swimming under the summer’s rays.

It’s too bad we can’t be outdoors more often

Thank you to Banneker for allowing us the morning time.  We look forward to working with you again soon. 

Day One of the official season is Thursday.  It’s going to be awesome.

As the team prepares for the first official day of practice, most will tell you that it’s infinitely more pleasant to swim outside than inside.  We have been fortunate enough to borrow the swimming facility right across the street from Howard’s campus for some of the voluntary captains’ practices. 

Besides this snapshot demonstrating the team’s willingness to prepare, the swimmers and divers are visiting the strength and conditioning coach regularly.  They’ve gathered to trek the reservoir, dominated stadium steps at 6AM and created their own aquatic practices with their own innovations and spice.

Stay posted…it’s going to be a great Labor Day week!

Justin Morrison is one of five incredible leaders that will help guide Bison Aquatics to new heights.

Happy late August everyone,

The school year is now one week old and there is quite a buzz in the air.  Our swimmers and divers have returned ready to begin a new chapter in their lives.  We have already convened as a team for our kick-off meeting and the Bison are currently gathering for some captains practices before official practices begin on September 9th.

Speaking of captains, we have the pleasure of announcing our captains for the 2010-2011 campaign:

Lauren Anthony – junior – Oakland, CA

Monique Major – senior – Philadelphia, PA

Steven Lott – junior – Los Angeles, CA

Omar McKenzie – senior – Nassau, Bahamas

Justin Morrison – senior – Memphis, TN

This is easily one of the strongest groups of women and men on this campus and we are fortunate to have them guide us through a tremendous season.

Demonstrating his leadership skills outside the pool, Justin was featured not only in the September 2010 issue of EBONY magazine, but in the Commercial Appeal of Memphis.  This is a tremendous honor for Justin and our program and you can read and listen about Justin’s summer experience here –> http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/aug/22/memphians-essay-appears-in-ebony-02/

We are incredibly proud of Justin for representing Howard University with such dignity and class.  When you go to pick-up a copy of EBONY magazine, look for this cover.

Have a great weekend everyone and we’ll check-in before August is over.

-Matt

It is with great pride that we write to update you on our finest swimming performances of the season.  The Bison took their final trip of the season on Knoxville, Tennessee to face the best the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association had to offer.  The three-day extravaganza, the culmination of months of hard work, unfolded superbly for the up and coming Bison.

The atmosphere at the University of Tennessee was electric and grew in energy as the preliminary morning rounds transcended into evening finals.  While we continue to grow in numbers, we represented our University admirably with every race, bringing the crowd to their feet in many instances.  Remarkably, 97% of our swims on the weekend were best times, an unheard of statistic regardless of any team’s size or accomplishments.

The Lady Bison were outstanding!  Taking eighth place with only seven competitors is a monumental achievement and would not be possible if each swimmer did not do everything possible to maximize their talents.  The Howard men took home fifth place, with every swimmer improving on every swim and bringing the audience to their feet on a most memorable and inspiring performance.

The individual highlights that dazzled the aquatic center include:

Chelsea Andrews – For the first time in the Lady Bison’s history in the CCSA, Chelsea represented Howard in the top 8 of the 100 freestyle on Saturday evening.  Her time of 52.96 got her eighth place and loads of notice from the conference.  Chelsea’s 50 freestyle on Thursday was strong, earning the freshman a second swim in the consolation heat.  At night, she moved up three places to 11^th place with a sensational time of 24.00.   Additionally, Chelsea’s 100 butterfly was her career best at a 59.51 and earned her an 18^th place mark.

Lauren Anthony – Three swims – three career best times!  Lauren’s 50 free was her best by two seconds (as she stormed past her heat,) her 100 fly bettered by four seconds and her 100 freestyle faster by over five seconds!  Congratulations to this determined sophomore!

E’lan Brewer – When the meets are the biggest, Brewer races at a higher level.  E’lan was fabulous on Thursday with her 50 free, and only got better with her 200 free on Friday and the 100 free on Saturday – all best times! It should not be unnoticed that for all four relays that Brewer swam, she was the anchor leg – quite an achievement for a fantastic freshman!

Summer Davis – Outstanding 3-second drop in the 200 IM commenced a very successful weekend for Davis.  Friday’s 100 fly earned a best time and, with a powerful closing 50, Summer swam her best time in the most grueling event of the weekend: the 200 butterfly.  A fourth best time was in the cards (check out the relay section…) Awesome all-around performance by the freshman!

Polo Edwards – Tremendous job leading the Bison for the competition!  Thursday’s 500 freestyle was a season-best!  After two hard-fought 200 freestyle swims, Polo finished her individual career by executing a terrific 1650 freestyle, good for 18^th place in the conference – her highest place in the CCSA in her three years in the league.  Supreme job Ms. Edwards! 

Cassy Evans – Started her first career conference meet with a blazing time in the 50 freestyle.  Followed that up with an awesome 100 butterfly and a determined effort in her 100 freestyle – all three swims new career bests for the rookie – a solid testament to her six months of great work!

Alyssa Rogers – Concluded her collegiate career with three best swims, too.  With her family on hand, Alyssa started with a three second drop in the 200 IM, a two second plunge in the 100 breaststroke and another second plummet in the 200 breast.  We can’t say enough about her steady improvement throughout these last two months – super job Alyssa!

The men have stuck together all season and were rewarded with each swimmer getting a best time in every single event they were entered in…absolutely amazing!

Charles Canady – Marvelous resilience from the junior!  His selfless decision to swim the 1650 freestyle on Saturday was the first by a Howard man in our three years in the conference (which, by the way, allowed him to take 11^th place.)  Charles’ 100 and 200 breaststrokes were his best for the season!  The junior’s efforts earned him points for all three individual events.

Kelvin Goodman – No one was more driven and tough than Kelvin.  From his first 200 IM swim on Thursday to his second 200 breaststroke swim on Saturday, the sophomore punished the competition by shaving a combined 20 seconds from his three swims!  Kelvin barely missed returning at night in the 200IM, but took control of his consolation heats, winning ninth place in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes.

Jules Graham – The swim of the weekend came on the strength of Jules Graham.  Seeded fifth going into the finals session of the 100 freestyle, Jules stormed in front of the field from the very first 25.  As he powered through each stroke, Jules blew away the competition in what is regularly a close race.  While bringing the entire arena to their feet, Jules 45.88 earned himself and his University a gold medal, the first ever by a Howard swimmer!  Not to go unnoticed was Jules’ consolation winning swim in the 50 freestyle, grabbing 9^th place with a new career-best mark as well as a career-best time in the 100 fly, which put him in 7^th place.  What a brilliant performance by Jules!

Zadok Isaacs – The freshman’s first conference championship was one part learning experience and one part superb execution.  His first 200 IM swim was a season-best, just outside of the top 16.  But Zadok returned on Friday with the same speed and better results, this time a career-best mark in yards and a 10^th place finish.  His excellent adjustment in the 200 backstroke saw Zadok dip below the 2-minute mark (1:58.96) in earning himself 11^th place!

Steven Lott – Sensational 100 butterfly to begin his CCSAs manifested into a stellar 100 backstroke on the same morning, earning him a second swim at night and a best time of the season.  Steven not only brought home a 14^th place in the 200 backstroke, but dropped six seconds from his previous best.  If that wasn’t enough, the sophomore time-trialed in the 100 freestyle and swam his best time ever in that race (49.55.)

Omar McKenzie – The perseverant junior bettered all of his times for his career.  Beginning on Thursday with his full second drop in the 50 free was followed by a two second slash in the in 100 fly.  Omar’s Saturday saw a 2.5 second drop for his career best 100 freestyle (53.91) and, to wrap-up his wonderful weekend, Omar time-trialed in the 100 fly and performed even faster than his blazing time on Friday (1:01.11)

Justin Morrison – With his family in the stands, Justin’s results were beyond remarkable.  His 20 second drop in the 500 freestyle earned the junior a second swim in the consolation round on Thursday, where he shaved another four seconds for a career-best mark of 5:28.75.  In the 200 freestyle, Justin lost another six seconds and got under the 2-minute barrier (1:59.87.)  Saturday’s three second drop in the 100 freestyles gave Justin’s final total time drop to 33.5 seconds!!!

Damjan Strbac – All of the season’s training paid-off for Damjan.  Season-best marks in the 50 freestyle by almost a full second got Damjan a 16^th place finish in the very fast heat.  The junior swam the 200 freestyle three times and was better all three times than his seed time, a testament to his determination.  On the final evening, Strbac came in 14^th after dropping a full second.

Darien Washington – What a great experience for the freshman!  Not only did he drop 14 seconds from his best 500 freestyle time, but Darien earned the opportunity two swim twice his the 100 and 200 backstrokes.  In each, Darien dropped five seconds in the morning and another second at night to earn 16^th place (1.01.39.)  His 200 back was a great example of work ethic as he battled the burn for a six second drop and a 15^th place mark!

James Washington – Without the full usage of his signature mustache, the midnight marauder swam the meet of his career.  With Mom and Dad watching proudly (for D, as well,) James was marvelous in dropping 18 seconds in his career-best 500 freestyle and another seven seconds in his 200 freestyle.  On Saturday, 2K10 torched the water with a four second drop and a career-best 55.93!

Brad Worrell – What a way to end his Bison career!  Best times in the 50 and 200 earned Brad two night, consolation swims and two top-13 finishes.  By Saturday, Brad earned his first finals swim with a great morning blaze of 47.51, pocketing an eighth place finish.  Brad’s poise and focus all us to call him our anchor for three of our relays, as well. 

Speaking of relays, a large chunk of any teams’ points are earned in the five relays.  Here are the Bison’s Top five relays of the weekend:

 #5 – Men’s 400 Medley Relay – To conclude Thursday’s night session, Zadok’s best 100 back split to date gave way to Kelvin.  His best 100 breast split, at the time allowed for Jules to smoothly accelerate into a solid relay split before Brad closed the deal for the men, capturing fourth place.  The final time of 3:37.48 was the team’s best by three seconds!

#4 – Men’s 200 Freestyle Relay – Jules charged off the block in breaking 21 (20.93) with Damjan posting his best 50 free split of the year (21.24.)  Zadok’s magnificent turn and finish gave Brad the opportunity to extend the lead on VMI for the team’s fourth place time of 1:26.16, two seconds faster than their seed time!

#3 – Women’s 400 Medley Relay – The Lady Bison closed the opening night’s session in style.  Summer was awesome in grabbing her best 100 backstroke of the year.  Alyssa’s best breaststroke split of the season was simply remarkable.  Chelsea fought stroke for stroke to gather a very good 100 fly split before Brewer’s fantastic 54.59 closed the deal for a 4:09.88 – an improvement by over 10 full seconds – and an eighth place finish! 

#2 – Women’s 400 Freestyle Relay – A litany of talent descended on lane 8 for the Lady Bison’s final race of the 2009-2010 season.  Chelsea’s final 100 freestyle led the way at 53.14.  Polo closed her college career with a sparkling 55.94.  Cassy fought tough for her final 100 free at 56.40 and Brewer continued to shave time by showcasing her speed at 54.53.  Yes, the ladies did better their seed time by almost three seconds, but that defeat of Radford allowed Howard’s women to vault 1 point in front of the Highlanders for eighth place.  That eighth place finish is not possible without each woman’s dedication to the team.

#1 – Men’s 400 Freestyle Relay – On a weekend full of speed, it’s only fitting that our best relay not only ended the weekend with force, but was rewarded with some nice hardware.  Jules, fresh off bringing the audience and competition to their knees, dazzled one final time with a great leadoff leg.  Zadok looked tremendous in his fastest 100 freestyle split in his young career.  Damjan’s 3^rd 100 freestyle of the day was his fastest of the year by over a second.  And Brad’s mettle and muscle brought the men a time of 3:07.34.  With an unexpected surprise from the College of Charleston, the Bison’s bronze medals were removed from their necks and replaced with the shinier silver medals – the highest relay honor the University has earned in its three years in the CCSA.  Way to go, gentlemen!

For all of the preparation and sacrifice that was put into this season, the culmination was ever so sweet.  Just as in the sport itself, these few days of completion came and went so quickly, it’s hard to encapsulate every achievement that unfolded in front of us.  It is not easy to persevere routinely, sacrificing so much for just a few precious seconds here or there.  Yet, this fine collection of student-athletes met a daunting challenge full steam ahead and were rewarded with one of the most historic weekend’s this University’s sport has ever had.

For everyone that supported the women and men of Bison Aquatics, a heart-filled THANK YOU is extended your way.  Our success and dedication are a reflection of your belief in our talents and will power.  We promise we will continue to strive for even greater achievements and build on a foundation of hard work and cohesiveness that we have constructed for ourselves since being a part of the Bison.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.  Thank you, once again and have a terrific week!

For those of you that have been following the Bison this season, I can tell you that each of these swimmers is making you quite proud here in Knoxville, Tennessee.  I want to apologize for not posting any messages sooner; the week has been filled with activity and evaluation of each of the individual’s performances.  Rest assured everything is going better than anticipated…

We are headed for our sixth and final session of the week and there so many highlights for each individual that this update surely can not hold them all.  Here is a quick rundown of this morning and what we can expect tonight:

Chelsea Andrews – TOP 8 IN THE 100 FREESTYLE!!!  Let’s see what she can do this evening against the best in the conference!

Polo Edwards – represented the team admirably in the 1650 – so proud of our captain!

Alyssa Rogers (200 breast,) E’lan Brewer (100 free,) Summer Davis (200 fly,) Cassy Evans (100 free) and Lauren Anthony (100 free) - all best times in their respective events for the day!  That’s seven for seven for the women on the morning!

Jules Graham and Brad Worrell - TOP 8 IN THE 100 FREESTYLE!!!  The men will be gunning for low times and high points this evening against five Davidson Wildcats and one VMI Keydet!

Damjan Strbac – best time in the 100 freestyle earns the junior another swim, as finishes 14th from the morning!

Kelvin Goodman – drops 7 seconds in his 200 breaststroke to get him 9th for the morning!  Outstanding!

Charles Canady – represented the Bison proudly in the 1650, battling from 10 seconds behind his closest competition to not only pass him, but beat him by three seconds.  Exceptional work by the junior!  We’ll see him tonight, again, in his 200 breaststroke.

Omar McKenzie, Justin Morrison and James Washington - dropped a combined 11 seconds in their three 100 freestyles.  Just terrific racing from all three!

Zadok Isaacs, Steven Lott and Darien Washington - had three nice tune-ups in their 200 backstrokes and, due to their smooth execution, each will swim for points this evening in the consolation heat!

More analysis and times will be sent your way!  For in depth results, please visit the conference’s website at http://www.ncswim.org/ccsa/2010/

I can’t tell you how great this team has been!  There promises to be more excitement this evening as Howard looks to close out the season with a bang!