Celebrating 90 Years - Alex Sobers Captures Emmanuel's First NCAA Title
Conference Carolinas is highlighting some of the biggest achievements in conference history. The 90th anniversary of the formation of Conference Carolinas is on Dec. 6, 2020.
FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga. - When you grow up in Bridgetown, the capital city on the Carribean island of Barbados, life has its own pace and rhythm.
“A typical day back home was going to the beach with friends, eating good Carribean food and just enjoying life,” said Olympic swimmer Alex Sobers, a six-time NCAA Division II All-America selection and recent graduate of Emmanuel College. “Things just happen naturally there. We really don’t have much of a set schedule.”
So, just how casual was the lifestyle?
“Let me just say this,” said Emmanuel Swim Coach Allen Gilchrest. “It was definitely island time. Even church didn’t start on time. When Alex committed to coming to Emmanuel, his father was most concerned about who was going to wake him up for morning practice. I told his dad that we would teach Alex to wake himself up!”
Coach Gilchrest did much more than that during Sober’s collegiate career. Under his tutelage, the lanky Barbados native set nine school records. He owns Emmanuel’s top marks in the 50 (19.72), 100 (43.2), 200 (1:34.76) and 500 (4:19.41) freestyle events and the 200 (1:19.87), 400 (2:54.99), 800 (6:28.34), 200 medley (1:26.42) and 400 medley (3:11.81) relay events.
Yet the crowning moment of Sobers’ resume at Emmanuel was when he claimed the 500-meter freestyle national title at the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championship. It marked the first time that an Emmanuel student-athlete has won an individual NCAA national championship in any sport.
Of course, swimming has always come naturally for Sobers, who grew up in a neighborhood that was a five-minute walk from Miami Beach (Barbados, not Florida) and the Atlantic Ocean.
“I remember at a very young age, my mother would take me to the beach and we would stay for hours,” he said. “I always had a love for the water. When it got dark and mom wanted to go home, I’d always plead for ‘five more minutes!’”
Alex speaks fondly of his parents, who made many sacrifices during his childhood. His father, Wendell, has worked as a technical supervisor at the local telephone company for more than 20 years, while his mother, Bertha, is an elementary teacher who taught both Alex and his younger brother Mihael (now eight years old) in their formative years.
“My parents came to all the meets,” he recalled. “They also would drive me to practice every day. They took vacation time so I could train in Florida and New Jersey at elite camps, too.”
Sobers learned to swim at the tender age of four and by the time he was eight, he joined a swim club. Over time, he became one of the island’s fastest swimmers. Soon, many U.S. college coaches had Sobers on their recruiting radar--especially after he qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
“It was such a surreal moment for me,” Sobers said of his first Olympic experience. “I still look back and ask myself, ‘Did I really do that?’ I wish every athlete could experience what I did.”
Perhaps his greatest memory was Rio’s Opening Ceremonies.
“It was so exciting,” he said. “Parading around the track and waving the Barbados flag while you’re on camera. And you’re among the top athletes in the world. It was a very proud moment.”
Sobers finished a modest 44th in the Men’s 400-Meter Freestyle in Rio, certainly an impressive showing for someone only 17 years old.
Fortunately for Gilchrest, Sobers had already made a commitment to Emmanuel before he left for Brazil.
“He asked for a gap year before starting college,” the coach said. “We were happy to oblige.”
However, the young Olympian still needed permission to enroll at Emmanuel a month late due to his participation in the Summer Games.
“I had to petition our administration,” recalled Coach Gilchrest. “I remember sharing a press release from Stanford which announced that (five-time Gold Medal winner) Katie Ledecky would be allowed to start classes late due to the Olympics. That must have swayed our people, who granted permission. Now we call it 'The Alex Sobers Rule!'”
Gilchrest, who had offered Sobers a scholarship sight unseen, still chuckles about the eventual arrival of his prize recruit.
“Alex was big but he wasn’t very strong when he came here,” the coach said. “He arrived straight from the Rio Olympics. In his first week in the weight room, he couldn’t bench press more than 100 pounds. But he listened well and you could see his determination. He gained a lot of strength and power that first year, and as they say, the rest is history.”
As he continued to whittle down his swim times, it became quite apparent that Sobers was headed for stardom on both the collegiate and international level.
HIs Emmanuel tenure culminated at the 2019 NCAA Championships, where he placed second in the 200-Meter Freestyle competition--where his 1:34.76 time was only one second off the winner, Adrian VanderHelm of Simon Fraser University (1:33.56)--and followed that performance by winning the 500-Meter Freestyle event in a clocking of 4:21.09. He also ranked among the top contenders to win both events his senior year until the 2020 NCAA Championships were canceled midway through the event.
Sobers, who came to Emmanuel as a shy, somewhat inhibited freshman, began to open up his personality as he became more acquainted with his teammates and the college life. However, those same teammates still enjoyed ribbing him for being soft spoken and so humble.
Coach Gilchrest tells the story about Sobers’ reaction to winning the school’s first individual national championship at the 2019 NCAAs. It was classic Alex Sobers.
“After every race at the Nationals, the public address announcer would interview the winner,” Gilchrest shared. “He calls Alex over after he wins the 500-Meter Freestyle. Everybody knows he’s a man of few words. The announcer sticks the mic in front of him and asks ‘How do you think your race went?’ Alex doesn’t break a smile. He just gave him a one word answer. ‘Good.’ It was hilarious. All the guys at the pool were just cracking up.”
What Gilchrest appreciates most about Sobers was not the medals he won, but the fact that the personable Barbadian kept his commitment to Emmanuel even though he received many late offers from bigger schools.
“He could have changed his mind and gone to a Division I program, but he stuck with us. That was a testament to his character. I was committed to him and he was committed to me. He believed in what we were trying to do in building a program.”
What made Sobers’ commitment even more impressive was Emmanuel’s transition from NAIA to NCAA status was unexpectedly prolonged. Initially, the process was expected to take three years, clearing the way for Sobers and the team to be eligible for NCAA postseason competition in his very first year on campus.
Sobers never wavered. He stayed loyal to the Lions’ program, allowing Gilchrest to build a championship program centered around his ace sprinter from Barbados.
If there is one word that describes Sobers and his time at Emmanuel, the word is gratitude.
“Emmanuel was a great four years of my life,” said Alex, who graduated this year with a degree in Sports Management. “Coming from a whole different country, I just loved the experience. My teammates pushed each other in both the classroom and in the pool. It definitely changed who I was as a person. I made a lot of friends and It was so much fun.”
Sobers also reflects fondly on how the sport of swimming has enriched his life.
“Swimming has taken me around the world,” he said. “I’ve seen China, South Korea, Peru, Columbia, Brazil, Hungary, Mexico, so many places. It also allowed me to go to a great college in the United States. I’ve honestly experienced things I never thought I would do.”
Now, Sobers serves as a graduate assistant coach at Boston College, while he pursues a Master’s Degree in Sports Management and trains for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, which were rescheduled from 2020 to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also plans to return to his homeland and become involved with helping at-risk children.
“I want to get youth more involved in sports in Barbados,” he said. “Sports is a unique way to bring people together and change their lives. There are so many benefits and keeps kids from getting into trouble. The experience can really change their perspective of life and future goals.”
While he is determined to improve his standing at the next Olympics, Sobers also finds himself in the unique position to impart wisdom to undergraduate swimmers at Boston College, sharing what he learned competing in the 2016 Games.
“My main message to them is to always keep pushing,” said Sobers, who hopes one day to also become a sports agent in the United States. “Never give up. If you work hard and sacrifice, anything is possible. When you have a dream, you never know where it might take you.”
Alex Sobers is living proof. His childhood dreams, hatched on the tiny island of Barbados, has led to national championships, the Olympics and so much more.
Bob Rose is a longtime sports public relations executive who has worked for the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, the NFL Cardinals, Cal, Stanford and other organizations. Conference Carolinas’ official storyteller, Rose will incorporate unique features through his “Body, Mind, and Soul” series into the 90th anniversary celebration.