Swimmer Regan Smith is turning pro and will train with Michael Phelps’ coach

World record holder Regan Smith is the latest athlete to jump ship from the collegiate ranks in order to focus on swimming as a professional.

Smith, 20, is leaving Stanford University after only one competitive year to train in Arizona with Bob Bowman, who guided Michael Phelps and many other successful Olympians. Bowman is the swimming coach at Arizona State University and also leads the pro group Smith will join.

Despite the name, image and likeness rules that now allow athletes to make money from sports while they attend college, Smith thought it was in her best interests to leave college while she seeks her first Olympic gold medal.

Smith won two silver medals (200-meter butterfly and 4 x 100-meter medley relay) and one bronze (100 backstroke) in Tokyo. However, she is a four-time world champion, with two golds this summer in Budapest (100 back and medley relay). She also won the 200 back and swam a leg on the winning medley relay in 2019 in Gwangju, South Korea.

“After a tremendous amount of reflection and soul-searching, I have chosen to pursue my competitive swimming goals as a professional athlete,” Smith said in announcing the move. “After spending a substantial part of the last two years on my mental game, it’s time to focus on increasing my training intensity. I’m entirely confident that Bob’s leadership and training will have me exactly where I want to be for Paris 2024.”

Smith intends to return to college eventually. She said she is postponing her college degree “to maximize my athletic competitive window and could not be more excited for this journey.”

She added, “I believe that, in the long run, this is the best way for me to continue to develop as an athlete.”

Smith was a teenage phenom who set her first world record in 2017 when she was just 15 years old. She currently is the world record holder in the 200 backstroke and is the former world record holder in the 100 back.

After signing with Stanford, the Minnesota native deferred her freshman year in 2020-21 to get ready for the Tokyo Olympics.

Joining the Cardinal team in the fall of 2021, Smith was a major point-scorer at the NCAA Championships, winning the 200 back, taking second in the 200 fly and placing third in the 100 back. Stanford finished third in the team standings with 399.5 points, just 6.5 points shy of second place.

Stanford coach Greg Meehan, who was the 2020 U.S. Olympic head women’s coach, told the SwimSwam podcast that he and Smith “weren’t necessarily on the same page” about the reasons behind her decision.

“I’m disappointed, I’m sad,” said Meehan, who first worked with Smith on a national team when she was 15. “I think this was going to be the best place for her, but I believe that she believes the move is what she needs. I respect that; I can accept that. She’ll always be a Stanford Cardinal…. I just wish we had more time with her.”

Superstar swimmer Katie Ledecky swam two years for Stanford before giving up her final two years of eligibility, while fellow Stanford Olympian Simone Manuel also turned pro before graduation. However, they did not have the same financial opportunities that swimmers have today under NCAA rules.

Olympic champion Missy Franklin left Cal-Berkeley after two years, while Kathleen Baker gave up her final year of eligibility at the same school.

Smith thanked Meehan, Tracy Slusser, the Stanford staff and her teammates for their support and wished them success. However, her departure is a blow to Stanford’s hopes of regaining the NCAA title.

Meehan said the team would miss Smith on a personal level while also missing her performances. But he said, “teams are never defined by one person. I still think we’re a contender. I know that it was really hard for Regan to walk away from this, that it was not an easy decision and wasn’t taken lightly.”

Bowman welcomed Smith to Tempe. “Regan is a special athlete, and I look forward to helping her work towards her goals in the coming years,” he said. “She has a clear picture of where she wants to go and how to get there. Having tremendous respect for both Mike Parratto and Greg Meehan, I am honored to build on the strong foundation they have given Regan.”

One of Smith’s top competitors, Hali Flickinger, already trains with Bowman. Olympic 400-meter individual medley gold medalist Chase Kalisz and silver medalist Jay Litherland also said this week that they are joining Bowman’s pro group. They previously trained at Georgia as post-collegiate athletes and are leaving in the wake of coach Jack Bauerle announcing his retirement after 46 years. Kalisz worked with Bowman when he was an age-group swimmer.

“That’s going to be a great landing spot for Regan,” Meehan said.