3 BLACK FEMALE COLLEGIATE SWIMMERS MAKE HISTORY FINISHING 1-2-3 AT 2015 NCAA DIVISION 1 CHAMPIONSHIP

LIA NEAL, SIMONE SAMUEL, & NATALIE HINDS

Three black coeds swept the 100 yard freestyle the 2015 Women’s Division I NCAA Championship this weekend—making history, reports NBC blk. The two top spots fell to Stanford teammates, while third place went to a University of Florida student.

Freshman phenom Simone Manuel of Stanford set an NCAA, American, U.S. Open, Championship and Pool record when she clocked a time of 46.09 in the women’s 100 yard freestyle.

Manuel’s Stanford teammate Lia Neal came in second place with a time of 47.13. (Fans may recall that Neal won a bronze medal in the 4×100 free relay at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.)

The University of Florida’s Natalie Hinds swam a time of 47.24. Hinds reset her own-school record in the event during competition.

In an interview with USA Swimming, Manuel said she “really didn’t think about” the significance of the three black women at the podium together.

“I didn’t really think about it…I always thought it would be cool to go 1-2 with Lia, because she’s my teammate and we’re so close, but I hadn’t thought about Natalie or what all three of us could do together. That hadn’t occurred to me until later when everyone was so excited about it.”