Swim Team Makes History

The Wilmington Friends School boys 400 relay team made history on Sunday, February 28, when they placed third in the State Championship race, becoming the first known all-Black swim relay team in Delaware to make the podium. Ameer Bashir ‘22, Jalen Stewart ‘24, Marcel Stewart ‘22, and Ty Wilmore ‘24 were also the first WFS boys swimming relay team to medal at the State Championship in the School’s history. The win was even more fitting as it came on the last day of Black History Month.

“This is a historical accomplishment that calls for celebration,” Friends athletic director, Jeff Ransom, said. “The learning opportunity for our community, in a sport where people of color make up such a small percentage of the population, is a triumph we can all salute.” 

Despite training during a pandemic, the team worked incredibly hard to get to this point. 

“We were successful due to our hard work throughout this year even with Covid, and we are only going to grow next year,” Bashir said. All four team members swam on the same club team outside of school, this season marked the first time they swam together for Friends. They work hard to lift each other up, and encourage each other to do better with each race. “Our relay swim at States was just unreal,” Marcel Stewart said. “We all swam fast and hyped each other up the entire time.”

“Swimming is a sport that is under-represented by people who look like me and I hope that other kids see our relay and know that there is a place in the sport for them too,” Wilmore said. 

All of the swimmers remarked that the third place win gave them even more motivation for next year’s season, hoping that they will improve and move up on the podium. “I feel proud of what our relay team accomplished,” Jalen Stewart said. “I feel honored that I was a part of the team and I am excited about next year's States. We will be faster and stronger.”