Lakeville swimmer Regan Smith, a world record holder, world champion and three-time Olympic medalist, announced Tuesday she is leaving Stanford to turn professional.
Regan Smith, Olympic medalist from Lakeville, leaving Stanford to turn pro
World-record-holding swimmer is joining training group to prepare for 2024 Summer Games.
August 9, 2022 at 5:12PM
Smith, 20, will move to Tempe, Ariz., to train with coach Bob Bowman. Bowman is best known for coaching Michael Phelps, whose 28 medals over five Summer Games made him the most decorated Olympian of all time. Smith swam last season at Stanford and won the NCAA title in the women's 200-yard backstroke in her only collegiate season.
In a news release issued by her new agent, Erika Wright, Smith said she believed joining Bowman's pro training group is the best way to prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"After spending a substantial part of the last two years on my mental game, it's time to focus on increasing my training intensity,'' said Smith, who won silver in the 200-meter butterfly, bronze in the 100 backstroke and silver in the 400 medley relay at the Tokyo Olympics. "I'm entirely confident that Bob's leadership and training will have me exactly where I want to be for Paris 2024.
"I believe in the long run, this is the best way for me to continue to develop as an athlete. At this time, I am postponing my college degree to maximize my athletic competitive window and could not be more excited for this journey.''
Smith trained under coach Mike Parratto with Apple Valley's Riptide Swim Team before heading to Stanford last fall. At age 17, she set world records in the 100- and 200-meter backstrokes at the 2019 world championships, earning her first world titles in the 200 back and 400 medley relay.
Following last summer's Olympics, Smith had a successful freshman season with the Cardinal, when she won six medals at the NCAA championships and was named Pac-12 women's swimmer of the year. In June, racing at the world championships for the third time, she won world titles in the 100 back and 400 medley relay.
Bowman, whose professional training group is based at Arizona State, called Smith a "special athlete'' in Tuesday's news release.
"I look forward to helping her work toward her goals in the coming years,'' he said. "She has a clear picture of where she wants to go and how to get there.''
Two offensive linemen from Lakeville, Bryce Benhart and Riley Mahlman, are standouts for Big Ten rivals of Minnesota.
