Natalie Hinds has lost track of the time that has passed since she, Simone Manuel, and Lia Neal made history in the pool 10 years ago. 

As a refresher (it was a decade ago, after all), the then-collegiate swimmers went 1-2-3 (Simone, Lia, and Natalie, in that order) in the 100 freestyle at the 2015 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. 

In the process, Manuel, then a freshman at Stanford, set an American, U.S. Open, and NCAA Championship record (46.09), and Hinds, then a junior, set a new school record for the University of Florida. Neal, then a sophomore also at Stanford, set a new personal best time.

 

Even more meaningful in the grand scheme of things, the three future Olympians accomplished something that had never been done before – an event sweep by African-American swimmers. 

“I was not aware that it had already been 10 years since that amazing swim meet and time in Black history,” said Hines, who won a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and stepped away from competitive swimming last year. “I remember that meet was a good meet for me. 

“I had a lot of best times, and my junior year was one of my most successful years at Florida. Post-race, we all still had the last relay left so there wasn't much thought to what we had just done because we still had more races to swim.”

Neal is equally surprised that 10 years have passed since that day. 

At the time, she said none of the three realized that they had made history. It didn’t sink in until the next day. 

“I don’t think we were even made aware until it was mentioned in a tweet the following day,” said Neal, who won multiple medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics as well as four World Championships. 

“To us, it was just three swimmers who tried their best and came out first, second, and third. I think that’s how history tends to get made. You focus on doing something you’re passionate about, and by circumstance, you find yourself part of something bigger than you.”

Growing up as young African-American swimmers among a majority of white swimmers, Hinds and Neal found their water heroes in many different faces. 

Hinds’ idols were Olympians Maritza Correia, Cullen Jones and Kaitlin Sandeno. 

She said the older she grew, the more she looked up to her younger self, because when you’re young and have goals – it’s very simple. 

“As things kept getting added to my plate, I always tried to re-center myself with the simplicity of my goals like I did when I was younger,” Hinds said. “Watching them made me believe it was possible to achieve the same because we looked the same and because we swam the same events.”

For Neal, she looked up to Natalie Coughlin, Rebecca Soni and Ian Crocker. She admired their technique as they moved through the water with grace and speed. 

Once they became “names” in the sport, Hinds and Neal both acknowledge being a role model to younger athletes, particularly younger athletes of color, didn’t always come easy. 

In fact, Neal said she didn’t fully understand what it meant to be a role model, especially when she started getting that question at just 17. 

“I was always flattered, of course, but as I got older, I began to realize how important representation is,” said Neal, who recently graduated from Harvard Business School and is exploring opportunities in digital health and tech while also giving private technique coaching and doing some public speaking.

 “It’s more of a subconscious programming – when people of color see someone who looks like them succeeding, it not only shows them what’s possible but also opens up a path they can envision themselves taking.”

Hinds agrees. 

“I think, along with my journey in swimming, being a role model allows kids to know that not only is success possible for Black swimmers, but that it also has the ability to take you to places across the world, have new experiences and experience the opportunity to meet so many different types of people,” she said. 

While he was unaware of Hinds’ and Neal’s decade-old historic accomplishment, current swimmer David Curtiss said learning about it as an African American swimmer inspires him and reiterates his belief that anyone can achieve success – regardless of circumstances. 

 

It also challenges him to pay it forward – however and whenever he can.

“(Growing up) my swimming idol was Cullen Jones; he competed at the highest level with humanity and a genuine heart,” said Curtiss, an All-American swimmer at NC State and a past U.S. National Team member. “I aspired to follow in his footsteps, experience the incredible things he achieved and become a role model for kids around the world – just as he was for so many.

“Cullen gave me and so many other kids motivation and a realistic example of the success a young Black kid could achieve. In some ways, I feel like I’ve stepped slightly into that role myself, especially as I hear more and more about kids looking up to me. Naturally, that brings some pressure, but I don’t think it’s overstated, it’s reinforced by the things people say and share with me. Being a role model, and hearing that I am one, never gets old. It’s a constant reminder of one of my core motivations for swimming – to teach, compete and motivate.”

Curtiss – a 2023 NCAA champion in the 200y medley relay and ACC champion in the 50y freestyle – is among a new wave of Black NCAA swimmers who are paving the way for future generations. While Curtiss now does his club swimming at TAC Titans, the college swimming scene has seen stellar performances from 5x reigning NCAA champion in Josh Liendo (Florida), 2024 NCAA Championships runner-ups Jordan Crooks (Tennessee) and Dare Rose (Cal), and more. More recently, Liendo took home Olympic silver in the 100m butterfly in Paris, while Crooks set a world record and became the first man to ever go sub-:20 in the 50m freestyle (SCM) at December’s World Aquatics Championships (25m).

As far as the impact that she and her fellow National Team members accomplished in that pool 10 years ago, Neal said she knows it was the culmination of years of hard work and staying true to herself and her goals no matter what. 

“Making history is a byproduct of many things, including passion, perseverance and staying true to yourself,” Neal said. “My advice to kids is to follow what excites you. As you grow older, you’re going to meet a lot of people who are going to have a lot of opinions. It will become easier to filter through the noise if you know who you are.”