“I absolutely loved my two seasons of swimming”-Olympic gold medalist Lydia Jacoby bids adieu to NCAA career as she turns pro forgoing eligibility

Former Olympic champion Lydia Jacoby has transitioned to professional swimming after choosing to forgo her remaining college eligibility. Jacoby, who competed for the University of Texas, committed to the institution in late 2020 and officially joined in the fall of 2022.

Jacoby contributed to the second-place finish for the University of Texas as they bagged the NCAA national runner-up title in the 2024 and 2023 seasons. She also became the national champion in the women’s 100 yd breaststroke at the 2023 NCAA Championships.

The 20-year-old announced her decision to forgo her college eligibility to embark on a professional swimming career, via Instagram, stating:

“After careful consideration and with the support of my coaches and loved ones, I have decided to forgo my collegiate eligibility to pursue professional swimming. I committed to Texas long before my life was forever changed at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020, and am glad I honored that commitment.”

She further expressed her gratitude to her coaching staff and teammates from the University of Texas, adding:

“I have absolutely loved my two seasons of swimming for the Longhorns and I’m eternally grateful for the coaching staff and my teammates at Texas.”

The Alaska-born swimmer also stated that she would continue to pursue her degree in advertising at the university despite forgoing her rest of college eligibility.

“I’m continuing to work on my degree in advertising at the University of Texas and am excited for the future,” she added.

At the age of just 17, Jacoby rose to fame after becoming the Olympic champion in the women’s 100m breaststroke, swimming a new national age group record time of 1:04.95.

However, she couldn’t defend her title as she failed to make it to the U.S. Olympic team after coming third in the finals of the trials with a 1:06.37, behind Lilly King (1:05.43) and Emma Weber (1:06.10).

Lydia Jacoby credits University of Texas for contributing to overcome post-Olympic depression

Lydia Jacoby during the Division I Womens Swimming & Diving Championships 2023 in Knoxville, T. (Photo by Jessie Rogers/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Lydia Jacoby battled post-Olympic depression after her successful journey at the Tokyo Olympics. After achieving her life’s goal at a very young age, she experienced a sense of uncertainty since she devoted her past years to something that needed hyperfocus.

Jacoby opened up in an interview with NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth on her post-Olympic depression phase stating:

“I've had points where I am severely depressed and there will be weeks where I just don't want to live my life anymore.”

However, she overcame the directionless feeling that she was facing after joining the University of Texas.

"I had really reached the pinnacle of sports, and I just was kind of lost on where to go next. So, I think the move to Texas was a great one in that regard, " she credited the university in the same interview.

With this, Lydia Jacoby not only won her battle over post-Olympic depression but also conquered the feeling of being overwhelmed.