In March, Regan Smith caught the attention of the media when she announced her intention to transfer from the NCAA transfer portal. However, recent reports suggest that she has since withdrawn from it. Athletes in the portal are classified as either “active” or “withdrawn,” and Smith was initially listed as “active” before being changed to “withdrawn.”
Sources close to the situation have revealed that the NCAA deemed Smith ineligible as a professional athlete. Despite this, Smith had a standout freshman season at Stanford in 2021-2022, winning the NCAA title in the 200 backstroke and placing 2nd in the 200 fly and 3rd in the 100 back. She scored 53 individual NCAA points and helped the team finish in 3rd place. Afterwards, she turned professional and began training under Bob Bowman at Arizona State University. Bowman later took on the role of Director of Swimming at Texas Longhorns, where Smith continued to train.
In early offseason, Smith was marked as “do not contact” while entering the transfer portal. However, with her recent withdrawal from it, any questions about her eligibility and potential return to NCAA competition have been cleared up. At a recent Pro Swim-San Antonio event, Smith demonstrated her talent by winning several races including the 100 back, 200 back, and 200 fly. She has set her sights on competing in the upcoming Paris Olympics after finishing second at last summer’s World Championships.
Overall, it appears that despite initial concerns about her eligibility as a professional athlete within NCAA competition rules, Regan Smith is now able to move forward with her goals for future competitions such as Olympic events like Paris Olympics (which is scheduled for year).