Oakton High School senior swimmer Matthew Bowman was one of 16 high-school student/athletes from across the commonweath honored as part of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame Foundation’s 19th annual Student-Athlete Achievement Awards.
A reception and ceremony for the seniors recently was held on the campus of Old Dominion University.
The Hall of Fame received more than 140 nominations, a record for the program. From that total, 16 finalists were chosen by an awards-selection committee. Among the nine girls and seven boys, the top four were selected as the Hall of Fame’s Student Athletes of the Year and received $1,250 scholarships. The remaining 12 finalists, including Bowman, each received $750 scholarships.
This season, Bowman was a double race winner in the Concorde District boys championship swim meet, then placed second and third in region competition. He holds multiple school records for the Oakton squad.
“He has become a star at Oakton for us,” Oakton swim and dive head coach Parker Ramsdell said about Bowman.
Bowman swims during the summer for the Fair Oaks team of the Northern Virginia Swimming League. In 2023, he finished second in two all-star races in the age 15-18 boys category.
Academically, Bowman has earned numerous awards for achievements.
Bowman spends time volunteering through coaching, including significant time dedicated to Special Olympics, and helping swimmers with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Bowman wants to major in biological sciences in college, before attending dental school.
