NCAA Eligibility Dilemma: Stanford’s Regan Smith Withdraws from Transfer Portal, Focuses on Olympic Dreams

Regan Smith, who had a standout freshman season at Stanford in 2021-2022, won the NCAA title in the 200 backstroke and placed 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. After turning professional, she trained under Bob Bowman at Arizona State University before moving on to Texas Longhorns.

In March, Smith entered the NCAA transfer portal but has now withdrawn from it. Athletes in the portal are classified as either “active” or “withdrawn,” and Smith was initially listed as “active” before being changed to “withdrawn.”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 Smith was deemed ineligible as a professional athlete by the NCAA.

Despite this setback, Smith remains focused on her career goals and recently competed at the Pro Swim-San Antonio, where she won the 100 back, 200 back, and 200 fly, and finished fourth in the 100 fly. Her sights are set on competing at the Paris Olympics after winning silver at last summer’s World Championships.