Olympic and World champion sprinter Simone Manuel will not continue her collegiate career after this year’s NCAA Championships. Manuel participated in Stanford’s senior day activities this weekend in their final home meet at the Avery Aquatic Center of the 2017-2018 season.
Manuel is technically a senior this year, but took an Olympic redshirt in her sophomore year, which could allow her one more year of NCAA eligibility if she wanted it. But Stanford head coach Greg Meehan has confirmed to SwimSwam that this season will be Manuel final year of collegiate swimming.
Correction: a previous version of this article read that Meehan said that Manuel is turning pro. Meehan only confirmed that this would be her final season of collegiate eligibility.
Manuel’s professional plans have been a hot topic of discussion among swimming fans. She’s the defending Olympic and World champ in the 100 meter free, having beaten recent world record-breakers Cate Campbell in Rio in 2016 and Sarah Sjostrom in Budapest in 2017. That Rio win made Manuel the first ever black woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal in swimming.
After missing most of this college season with an injury, Manuel is back in the water and favored to win the 50 free and 100 free at the NCAA Championships next month. She’s the American record-holder in the 100 and the defending champ in both events. She’s also part of a loaded Stanford team that is heavily favored to repeat as national champions.
While Stanford is good enough to remain among the top programs in the NCAA even without Stanford, Manuel turning pro does add to a big graduating group of major NCAA scorers. This offseason, Stanford will say goodbye to American record-holder Ally Howe, All-American Janet Hu, Olympic diver Kassidy Cook and NCAA champion diver Gracia Leydon Mahoney along with Manuel.
Simone’s win in the 100 free at last year’s world was great to watch. I can’t wait to see what she does as a pro!
Ironic that a bunch of what is likely older white men are commenting on what a young black woman should do – and one who is also likely to be more talented than the Commenting Collective…
Seems like you have some kind of bias agains older white men. Anyone should feel free to comment about anyone, or are you saying that only black female top swimmers with roughly Manuel’s age should be allowed to comment their opinions regarding Simone Manuel? 🙂
No bias whatsoever. One, if the not irony then it’s jealousy combined with incredulity that someone wouldn’t give up one’s amateur status for money. Two, you’re the only one intimating that one has to be exactly like a person to comment. My comment was merely an observation…
Didn’t you just assume that everyone commenting is an old white man?
Is she graduating this summer? If so it is a little silly to think that she would come back just to swim another year of college. I know this is often done in other sports (football) during a grad school year but doesn’t make any sense to me in this situation where she has nothing left to prove at the college level .
Hello…if the “correction” added after the 1st paragraph is accurate, you may want to change the article’s headline!
Simone Manuel may be “the first ever black woman to win an individual gold medal in Olympic swimming,” but back in 1976, Edith Brigitha, a black Dutchwoman (she was born in Curacao), won bronze in the 100 meter freestyle behind two East Germans, so…….
….so a bronze is not gold and a Dutchwoman is not an African American
The article didn’t say “African American,” it said “black.” And that bronze should have been gold.
I know, i said that cause theres a difference. And did Edith win bronze or gold? Which is it?
Ervin, you know exactly what Honest Observer is saying. And it doesn’t take away from Manuel’s achievement to recognise Brigitha.
exactly well corrected – some guys here can’t read properly …..lol
Hopefully there is less venom over this move than when Missy went pro. Yeesh.
Missy horribly mistimed her transition, she should have gone pro after london because 2012 and 2013 were arguably the best years of her career, instead she went through 2 years of college, turned pro and proceeded to struggle with injuries and her mental state resulting in very poor performances (for her).
Simone is very much in her prime and is finishing school in a couple months, she performed for her team all four years and can move on to the next stage of her career. It is a much more logical decision for Manuel to take this path.
Aaaw yeah!!! Leggo Simoooone!
Clearly the build up to Tokyo is about to start heating up. Big corporations want to start partnering with athletes that will land them a good deal of exposure, and Manuel is poised for an even bigger breakout on the International stage.