Madison Murtagh has announced via Instagram that she will be transferring to Rutgers to use her 5th year of eligibility this fall. Murtagh intends to earn her Master’s in Communication and Media.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdeRYd6OJB_/
Murtagh spent her first four years at Penn State. At the 2022 Big Ten Championships, Murtagh finished 16th in the 1650 freestyle (16:28.59), 22nd in the 500 freestyle (4:48.35), and 38th in the 200 freestyle (1:49.83). All of those were season best times.
Her highest finish in an event at the conference level has been 11th in the 1650 freestyle back at the 2020 Big Ten Championships. There she swam a time of 16:24.87.
Best Times in Yards:
- 1650 freestyle: 16:23.96 (December 2019)
- 500 freestyle: 4:47.44 (February 2018)
- 200 freestyle: 1:48.59 (February 2018)
Athletes were allowed an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19 during the 2020-2021 season. Many athletes took this extra year this past season, but the number is expected to fall over the next few years.
During the 2020-2021, Rutgers redshirted most of their roster. This past season though, the Scarlet Knights were back and finished eighth out of 12 teams at the 2022 Women’s Big Ten Championships.
Murtagh has the potential to make a huge immediate impact at the conference level for the Scarlet Knights. Murtagh would have been the school’s only finalist in the 500 freestyle at the 2022 Big Ten Championships. She also would have been the team’s highest finisher in the 1650 freestyle. Murtagh scored a total of 14 points at this year’s Big Ten Championships. This is impactful as Rutgers finished only 30 points behind Purdue to finish in eighth place.
In addition to making an impact at the conference level, Murtagh also has the potential to make an impact on the school’s all-time top 10. Murtagh’s best times would give her the third fastest time in school history in the 1650 freestyle, the fifth fastest time in the 500 freestyle, and the 10th fastest in the 200 freestyle.
Murtagh is the second announced fifth year for Rutgers as Rachel Kimmel has already announced her transfer for her fifth year.
While the Big Ten has a rule requiring student-athletes who transfer within the conference to sit out for a season, that rule only applies to undergrads. As a graduate student, Murtagh is not subject to that rule.