NCAA Champion Bella Sims has entered the transfer portal after finishing her sophomore season with the Florida Gators. She has two years of NCAA eligibility remaining and is entered with a “do not contact” note in the portal.
In February 2024, Sims captured SEC titles in the 200 back, 200 fly, and 200 IM. She also helped the team’s 200 free, 400 free, and 800 free relays to SEC titles while the 400 medley finished 2nd.
Sims changed her individual event lineup for 2024 NCAAs and won NCAA titles in the 500 free and 200 free as a freshman at the 2024 NCAA Championships. She also was 2nd in the 200 backstroke behind Wisconsin’s Phoebe Bacon. In addition to her individual NCAA titles, she helped Florida’s 800 free relay to a win leading off in a 1:41.03.
This past season, Sims also had a different lineup at SECs compared to NCAAs. She swam the 100 back, 200 back, and 200 IM at SECs winning the backstroke events while she was 3rd in the 200 IM. She swapped the 200 IM for the 500 free at NCAAs in hopes of defending her title.
At the 2025 NCAA Championships, Sims helped the 800 free relay to a 3rd place finish on night 1. That relay was the team’s highest finish on the week. On day 2, she missed making the final in the 500 free as she was 17th in prelims. She bounced back and finished 2nd in the 100 and 200 backstrokes to finish the meet.
The “do not contact” note means that coaches are not supposed to reach out to the athlete unprompted; this often means the athlete either already has a destination in mind, or wants to closely control the process.
Time Progression
| Pre-Florida | Freshman | Sophomore | |
| 100 free | 47.16 | 47.01 | 46.53 |
| 200 free | 1:40.78 | 1:40.90 | 1:42.55 |
| 500 free | 4:28.64 | 4:32.47 | 4:31.06 |
| 100 back | 50.53 | 50.02 | 48.97 |
| 200 back | 1:48.32 | 1:48.47 | 1:47.11 |
| 200 fly | 1:51.06 | 1:51.45 | 1:53.11 |
| 200 IM | 1:52.73 | 1:51.86 | 1:53.63 |
| 400 IM | 3:56.59 | 4:01.47 | 4:00.44 |
Sims has seen progress in numerous events since arriving at Florida. She was the #1 ranked recruit in the class and held the fastest time in 10 out of 14 events for the high school class of 2023, showing her versatility.
Her 500 free best time of a 4:28.64 from high school makes her the #4 performer all-time. She also is the #3 performer all-time in the 100 back, #2 performer in the 200 back, and #5 performer in the 400 IM.
She has represented the US at the international level on numerous occasions. She made the 2020(1) US Olympic roster in Tokyo after finishing 5th in the 200 free at US Trials. That earned her a spot in prelims of the 4×200 free relay that went on to win silver in finals. A year later, Sims swam at the 2022 World Championships and had a key 1:54.60 anchor leg to secure gold for the US women’s 4×200 free relay.
Sims competed at 2023 Worlds at both the individual and relay level. She was finished 6th in the 200 free and 8th in the 400 free. She also swam in prelims of the mixed 4×100 free relay that went on to win silver and in finals of the women’s 4×200 free relay that won silver.
Just yesterday, Sims accepted a “no fault or negligence” finding from the International Testing Agency (ITA) after testing positive for the banned substance Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ). The sample was collected in an out of competition test on September 24, 2024. Sims stated on Instagram, “World Aquatics’ investigation found that the banned substance was in a contaminated medicine I was prescribed after being diagnosed with a torn labrum in my hip.”
Entering the transfer portal does not require a student-athlete to transfer rather it allows for the student-athlete to discuss with other coaches about the possibility of transferring. On rare occasions, the student-athlete returns to their original school.
This may be the best financial decision she’s made. Which teams will fill their dump trucks up at the bank first?
Kicked out for cheating?
I seriously doubt that.
Try taking HCTZ and see how much your athletic performance improves. All that’s gonna happen is you’re gonna start peeing more
Well yea, diuretics are taken to mask other drugs…
Well this is a bummer. As a UF alumni I wish that she was able to stay at UF, but also as a transfer myself (to UF), I sort of get it.
Best of luck to her and I hope that she finds her home.
Michigan to her boyfriend
Who is her boyfriend?
Josh brown
This is wrong, it’s Thomas Farney
You sure he didn’t get cut? Not sure how dude got on their team
The long play to get Bella, it’s like taking a slow sibling to get the faster younger one too
I have it on good authority she will be attending & competing for Indiana at some meets while training in Las Vegas.
Bella Sims represented Florida?!! Bob Bowman’s team international?!! Am I missing something here?!!
Transfer Portal is always a form of grievance to some point even though it is not giving the proper reason for the transfer but a move forward for something else..
Here’s some names who transferred:
Ledecky, Canadians, Hungarian, Russian and other athletes who are AMERICANS and International athletes..
I am sure that Bella has a support team for that decision for her best interest at heart and to remain healthy in the process!!
wut
I see your ‘wut’ and raise you a ‘huh’?
Shocked this wasn’t a Cynthia Curran post
another victim of Anthony nesty,when will this guy be dropped and made accountable for all the young lives and minds he’s destroyed??????why isn’t this being talked about,adam Cheney,and so many, geez UF bosses must be busy filling out NDA after NDA covering it all up.
What happened to Cheney?
NDA,like so many, cant air what is really going on in the swamp
Ok