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No swimmer at Hope College has made an impression quite like Josh Boss.
Boss was an accomplished NCAA champion, came close to landing a spot on an Olympic team, and was part of the inaugural class of Division III Hall of Fame swimmers, having established multiple school and DIII records.
However, records are meant to be shattered.
Hope freshman Luke Newcomb surpassed Boss’ record in the 100 breaststroke during Hope’s midseason meet, a record that had persisted for 25 years.
“I recall looking back to when his record was set and how he outperformed everyone at the 1999 NCAA meet, establishing the NCAA record. It is a remarkably fast time overall, but during his era, that was an incredible accomplishment,” Newcomb remarked.
To express his encouragement and to emphasize how significant this record is, Boss returned to Hope and met with Newcomb. They discussed swimming and life, while together they updated the record board.
“I am really thrilled about what lies ahead. Having someone in the program willing to come back and celebrate a record, that is exactly why I am here. You won’t see that at many other institutions,” Newcomb stated.
Hope coach Jake Taber found it challenging to contextualize the record.
“I am not sure I can,” Taber expressed. “When Josh was competing in DIII, he was the one athlete that everyone recognized. Schools referred to Hope as having the ‘Boss effect.’ He is as iconic a DIII swimmer as one could be. Witnessing Luke break that record was quite remarkable.”
Newcomb shattered the 25-year-old school record at the Kenyon College Total Performance Invite, an event that featured five of the top 20 Division III programs in the nation, along with ranked NAIA and Division II teams.
The NCAA B-cut time of 54.54 from the 100 breast prelims is the third-fastest in Division III this season and surpassed the former national record of 50.69 established by Boss.
“I was not anticipating achieving a personal record. My previous best was 55.56, but the energy at the meet motivated me. Everyone was breaking their personal records, and that enthusiasm transfers from person to person,” Newcomb noted. “The team chemistry here is significantly better than what you would encounter elsewhere.”
And they diligently strive both in and out of the water to maintain that momentum.
Newcomb exemplifies this dedication.
“He has an excellent feel for the water,” Taber noted. “But honestly, he is just a fierce competitor. If you sit down with him, he is genuinely one of the nicest individuals, yet he switches to a different mindset when it’s race time. He has an old-school power breaststroke style paired with a fun approach. He passed by me at Kenyon and remarked something like, ‘It’s a fantastic day to break a record,’ and then he went out and did just that.”
With Hope’s women’s team achieving top 10 status in the country over the past few years, Newcomb and the Hope men’s team are on a promising trajectory to reach that same level.
“I could sense from day one the guys’ motivation,” he stated. “We are on track to accomplish something significant this year.”
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’[email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
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