Devan Sweeney, the fifth Sweeney sibling in a long line of swimming Sweeneys, has announced her transfer from Mizzou after two seasons to join Auburn’s swimming and diving program. Because this is an intra-conference transfer, SEC rules would normally require her to sit out a season; however, because of the change of head coach at Missouri, that rule could be waived. Sweeney says that they are still working through that process, but that she will have 2 years of eligibility remaining whenever she is able to compete for Auburn.
Devan is the 5th Sweeney sibling to compete for a Division I swimming program, and the 4th to do so for an SEC school. Although there are a lot of fun comparisons to draw within the Sweeney family, Devan will be the first to compete for Auburn’s Swimming and Diving program, although not the first Auburn athlete. Here’s the brief breakdown (from oldest to youngest):
- Allyson, the eldest, swam for the Texas A&M Aggies (originally in the Big 12 before joining the SEC). Allyson was primarily a sprinter, boasting bests of 49.72 in the 100 free, 54.68 in the 100 fly, and clocking a high school swim of 1:49.19 in the 200 free. She recently joined the coaching staff at UNC Chapel Hill as a full-time assistant.
- Connor, swam for UGA, and specialized in middle-distance freestyle.
- Aidan, swam for UGA, and excelled in long distance events. He returned to competition after a spinal fusion his freshman year. He finished his eligibility at Notre Dame as a graduate student.
- Keenan, played football for Auburn as a fullback, and also finished his eligibility at Notre Dame as a graduate student.
- Devan will join Gary Taylor in Auburn for his second season as head coach.
- Tegan, currently swims for Notre Dame and is a rising sophomore.
- Reagan, the youngest, is 16 years old and swims for Swim Atlanta. She is a Junior National qualifier and is currently uncommitted.
The ties to the Fighting Irish began with Devan’s parents, who are both Notre Dame alums. Her father, Dr. John Sweeney, is Chief-of-Surgery at Emory Healthcare and played football for Notre Dame from 1979-1982.
Devan currently ranks 4th on Mizzou’s all-time list in the 200 fly (1:58.18), 10th in the 400 IM (4:12.97), and 12th in the 100 fly (53.81). As a freshman she scored at the SEC Championships in both the 200 fly (15th) and 400 IM (24th), and last year she scored in the 400 IM (24th). She will join a red-hot Auburn women’s team that has taken off with the hire of head coach Gary Taylor. Her best times would have ranked her 2nd on Auburn’s team in the 400 IM and 3rd in the 200 fly for the 2018-2019 season. Devan has timed her arrival perfectly as Auburn will be without its top 200 flyer and 400 IMer, Bailey Nero, next season because of graduation.
Devan’s commitment was announced via Auburn’s Instagram page:
War Eagle!