NCAA qualifier Macky Hodges has entered the transfer portal just days after finishing her sophomore campaign with the USC Trojans.
Hodges committed to USC back in fall 2021 and at the time was the #16 ranked recruit in the high school class of 2023. She entered USC leading the #9 ranked recruiting class in fall 2023 and was an honorable mention recruit at the time.
As a freshman, Hodges made NCAAs but went on to add from her season best times in all of her individual events. She finished 41st in the 200 free, 45th in the 200 back, and 62nd in the 500 free. She helped the USC 800 free relay to an 11th place finish.
This past weekend, Hodges swam a best time in the 200 back posting a 1:53.58 for 32nd. She also was 47th in the 200 free and 58th in the 200 IM. She swam on the 800 free relay that finished 7th to earn All-American honors while the 200 free relay finished 21st.
Hodges has seen improvement since arriving at USC, dropping almost two seconds in the 200 IM and just under a second in both the 200 back and 200 free.
Time Progression
| High School Best | Freshman | Sophomore | |
| 400 IM | 4:09.29 | 4:12.62 | N/A |
| 200 IM | 1:58.53 | 1:58.07 | 1:56.69 |
| 200 Back | 1:54.23 | 1:53.75 | 1:53.58 |
| 200 free | 1:45.69 | 1:45.06 | 1:44.77 |
Hodges was the top 200 backstroker this season by over two seconds. She also was #3 in the 200 IM and 200 free. USC finished 5th out of 14 teams at the 2025 Big Ten Championships before finishing 11th at NCAAs.
Note: Entering the transfer portal does not require an athlete to transfer, rather it allows athletes to begin to speak to coaches about the potential of transferring. Athletes do occasionally return to their original school.
Looks like she committed to Indiana
Eventually some college coach is gonna figure out the formula to keeping the female Sandpiper alum on track and it will unlock an excellent recruiting pipeline for them.
It’s hard to get continuous improvements when you do 11-12 practices a week in high school
I used to think this, but Erica Sullivan went a best time at the age of 20 (21?) to win an Olympic silver medal in the mile. Ron found a way to get improvement with a swimmer beyond the high school years on the biggest stage.
That’s not what he meant, Sullivan was still training with sandpipers at that time if I’m not mistaken. Once she actually went to Texas, she fell off because of the training regimen change. However, she was still doing the Sandpipers training load up until the Olympics.
The best college coaches suck following in Ron’s shoes. One has to assume mass intimidation to the savant in Nevada.
College coaches just want to get on deck for team USA after inheriting great swimmers. If they can’t complete the task getting the swimmer on deck they should not be part of Team USA they should be educating themselves on how to be a contributing coach not a crap bag.
Just calling it for what it is.
there might not be formula, college is just hospice for their career as the tank is empty.
How can there be a pipeline when SAND literally has no one coming along who could be considered anything near a top recruit after Weinstein leaves?
So #2 in the class of 2026 is no where near the top?
What list are you looking at? Crush, Han, Sweeney… the class of 2026 has no one from SAND anywhere in sight.
https://swimswam.com/way-too-early-recruit-rankings-boys-high-school-class-of-2026/
https://www.swimcloud.com/recruiting/rankings/2026/M/1/
I believe the above comment section is in reference to the women’s side of the recruitment. What you posted references the men’s side of the recruiting.
IMO is always out to get SAND and full of back intel. CJ just dropped the mic.
IMO is a helicopter parent and likely someone who’s kid didn’t make it with Ron. Seems like one name pops up. If you know you know.
She hasn’t had any great end of season performances at USC her last NCAAs and conference meets went the same way.
Not that this necessarily means anything but the only two swimming accounts she follows on Instagram are Ohio State and Indiana, not even USC
IU would be smart..
Maybe she’s going to do a hybrid schedule with Sandpipers and IU, LOL.
Heard she’s going to IU
California girl. Transition to Indy might be rough
Maybe Stanford or Cal? Not sure what the rosters are looking like at those schools. Arizona or ASU maybe. Probably also depends on some factors outside of swimming (e.g., which schools are good for her major, campus culture, etc.)
Agree that Indiana or Ohio State would be a big adjustment for someone who has lived their whole life in SoCal and Las Vegas.
Not sure she would be an academic fit for Stanford and cal
USC is no slouch of a school…
I don’t know Macky or her academics at all, so this is a more general question.
I know that that Stanford and Cal are both extremely competitive for general admissions (many people apply, few are accepted). However, I believe they have “preferred admissions” for top athletes (including transfers), meaning that if the recruit meets the academic standards (however the school has defined them) they are essentially accepted automatically.
Does that match others’ understanding? Recruited athletes need to clear an objective academic bar (e.g., a combination of grades, test scores, high school curriculum), which is intended to ensure that they can do the work once they arrive. However, in the general admissions process, a lot of applicants who meet the bar… Read more »
This is the whole reason why you had that “Varsity Blues” admissions scandal, with fake athletic recruits. IIRC, it affected a number of students and coaches at USC.
There’s definitely a good number of students who might be bright enough to get by at an elite academic school and graduate even though they wouldn’t have been strong enough academically to get in without sports. I’m like you in that I don’t know Macky either. If she’s at USC she’s probably just fine academically. For that matter, almost all of us commenters don’t know the specific swimmers getting discussed well enough to know if they could handle the academics somewhere.
I always kind of cringe whenever people speculate about specific swimmers “not being an academic fit” at a good school. If they do know the kid well and the kid isn’t very smart, then what a mean thing to… Read more »
Indeed. I personally know a kid who needed all kinds of academic help just to graduate high school who somehow swam for USC and remained eligible. I think the reverse is more relevant, giving up a degree from USC for one from IU is a big come-down.
IU is perfect they know how to get the work done and not over rest the females. Unlike some schools that think resting females like males is the answer or one size fits all. IU has been the consistent for those that want to work. Problem with most schools is everyone is afraid of work. IU is not and if you are afraid don’t go to IU. I don’t want you there either.
going through her instagram following is crazy
well this is completely normal during volleyball transfer season 🙃
I know club coaches who keep spread sheets and follow high school kiddos instagrams to get/keep up to date on their recruiting journeys. 😅😂🙃
My nostrils are filled with the scent of a transfer to UVA!
That would be surprising.
It would surprise me (she doesn’t make a lot of sense for the current UVA team) but they were just posting a day or two ago about a big women’s recruit/transfer (unspecific) for next fall…there aren’t many highly ranked commits left, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a transfer
Bella Sims?
i dont think she wants to be with katie grimes anymore
Y’all are goofy, Bella just improved by a half second in the 100 free and over a second in the 100/200 back. I think that 200 back was exactly what she needed to shake the Sandpipers ghost, and she proved it with that 100 free after. She’s evolving into a sprinter/backstroker, and UF is working. It would be crazy to start over and kill that forward momentum.
Bella Sims is in the portal?
Bella needs to abandon 500 free training. Her bk looked great at ncaas and with focus on that and Im and maybe short free I think that training would benefit her better
After her100 free on the relay I wondered if she should put more focus on the 100 free LCM and try to get a relay spot
Yeah I agree do 100/200 bk and free at trials. Go for top in bk but have relays to fall on. Not like you’re going to beat ledecky/cox/madden/grimes in 400 + distances
Unless something drastic happens, she won’t beat Smith, Bacon, Curzan, etc. in long course. Her backstroke over the top speed is not there for long course, she’s much more suited for SCY. She’s in a very awkward space for LC now that her freestyle has fallen off.
100% agree with that. Her underwaters are insane with a stroke that (at least from my eye) seems to be a little bit uneven almost. Like one arm is pulling more water than the other. On the bright side its something that is fixable and with that fix she could just maybe be competitive in the LC pool.
Well, if we’re going off precedent, UF has not been able to help her with technique issues (literally in her own words so don’t come for me). So I don’t have high hopes.
She was also gaslighted by a coach who told her she wouldn’t swim fast for anyone else, and Florida has had to work to undo all of that. The best female recruit in the country has dropped over 1% from her best times in three events this season at UF. Those are age grouper drops at this level. As an added bonus, she may never have to swim the 500 again.
Anthony has really not evolved anybody, he likely doesn’t possess the skills. Politics in athletics with out fundamentals is useless.
Bella Sims not going any where. UF is her school. Now they just need to figure out LC for her. We know they will because they are the best program.
Lana Pudar.
eee I think it might be lawson ficken. wasn’t pudar committed to texas?
That’s Nicoletta Padar (Hungarian). Pudar is Bosnian, finished fourth two years ago at Worlds in the 200 fly (behind McIntosh, Dekkers, and Smith).
oh right! mixed them up. well, pudar may yet join – but lawson did change her insta tag to uvaswimdive though, so I think that’s also happening.
The University of Florida makes more sense than the University of Virginia.
Definitely not the top priority especially with Madi Mintenko arriving next season.
More likely to join UVa diving team!
The top priority for the University of Virginia in the transfer market is 50 /100 yard freestylers especially with the departures of M. Parker, A. Walsh, G. Walsh.
Weird NCAAs for her — good relay split on the 800 free relay on night one and a PB in the 200 back on the last day, but pretty terrible performances between that. Doesn’t happen that way too often
A time of 1:44.14 is a pedestrian relay split in the women’s 4 x 200 yard freestyle relay. A sub 1:43 would grab attention in the transfer market.
She was fast enough to beat at least one split on literally every relay but Stanford, UVA, and Texas! Literally almost every team could use that leg as an upgrade on their current relay (not even taking into account graduations).
She can transfer to Indiana University since A. Peplowski has exhausted her collegiate eligibility.
This transferring all over the place is ridiculous!!!
Yeah, how dare athletes do what’s best for their swimming and academic careers.
I am waiting for Justina kozan. 3 years without significant progression must be frustrating
Thought she’d be the next American IMer internationally.
She did just go a PB at NCAAs in the 500…but point taken
Kozan likely a good reason to transfer. Exceptional swimmer who has not progressed at USC.
Sometimes the issue is not the program bur the swimmer. Not a usc fan but other im swimmers flourished in that program
Her sister is doing alright, no?
She just went an impressive PB in the 500, so the plateau might FINALLY be over. Her times dropped off so hard that I thought she might have been injured.