2025 NCAA qualifier Berit Berglund has entered the transfer portal. Berglund just finished her junior season at Texas and is the biggest name to enter the portal so far.
Berglund made the 2024 NCAA Championships as a freshman and most notably helped the Longhorn women to a 2nd place finish in the 400 medley relay with a lead off split of a 51.51. She also won the ‘B’ final of the 100 backstroke in a lifetime best 50.70. That time still stands as her personal best.
As a sophomore, Berglund returned to NCAAs, finishing 40th in the 200 back (1:55.22) and 43rd in the 100 back (52.41). Her season best times in the event came at SECs when she swam a 51.02 100 back for 4th as well as a 1:52.97 200 back for 12th.
This past season, as a junior, Berglund only swam in four meets for the Longhorns. She swam in the team’s dual meet against Alabama as well as at midseason in the fall semester. In the spring, she only swam at the team’s dual meet against Texas A&M as well as at the SMU Last Chance Invite. Her season best times came at midseason when she swam a 51.48 in the 100 backstroke and a 1:56.91 in the 200 back.
Other Portal Notes:
- Washington State has six women in the portal so far, including 2025 NCAA qualifier Dora Hathazi. Hathazi did not compete for the team at all this past season. WSU had a strong season this year as they went undefeated (7-0) in dual meets and are sending two individual swimmers to NCAAs.
- 2025 NCAA relay swimmer for Northwestern Sydney Smith is in the portal as well and made the Big Ten ‘B’ final in the 200 free last month.
- Auburn’s Julia Strojnowska also highlighted names in the portal as she swam in prelims at 2025 NCAAs in the 200 free, 500 free, and 1650 free. She finished her season at SECs last month.
- Saint Peter’s has five women in the portal
- Wagner, Alabama, New Hampshire, and FIU each have three women
I know that entering the portal does not mean a swimmer is required to stop swimming for their current team, but are there any examples where a swimmer successfully stayed put if they became part of the public list? Can teammates look past the “defection?” Seems like a big middle finger to your current program that you are unhappy enough to try to uproot your life for sake of better training or culture.
Yes. There are several examples. The highest profile one being Liam Bell, though he would wind up transfering as a grad student anyway.
https://swimswam.com/sec-runner-up-liam-bell-decides-to-stay-at-bama-after-entering-transfer-portal/
Though he would end up pulling out of NCAAs this year and transferring to Cal the next offseason anyway so “successfully” is subjective I guess.
https://swimswam.com/bamas-liam-bell-scratches-from-ncaa-championships-re-enters-transfer-portal/
Last year some schools that had to cut kids kept training/helping them through their departure, my school included.
I don’t know the extent of her injuries but who is saying no to a 50.7/1:52.8 backstroker? I don’t know a ton about the 2026 UVA class outside of Sagle but move Curtis to the 100 fly since Novelline is gone, gives more depth there and have a solid 1-3 in the backstroke
They have 9 commits. Unless some people transfer out spots hard to come by?
2027 different story obviously.
Changing my answer to Purdue
Purdue or IU have some merit. Close to home.
Washington State was so good that I’m sure most of the girls in portal didn’t get a chance to score and compete at big meets
What’s schools are in need of a backstroker? Louisville and Stanford are the only schools in the top 10 that I can think of off the top of my head that need one. Cal-no, UVA-no, IU-no, Tennessee-no, UM-no.
USC
will you release a full list of the women in the portal?
Or respect the athletes privacy, there’s a thought
It’s not private information
if you want privacy dont enter the transfer portal, theres a thought
I’m surprised no one has said the obvious: train at Carmel and compete for Indiana.
Now that was good.
plausible. Shackell method works.
Although if she was going to go “full” Shackell, she’d have to commit to another school or two before ending up at Indiana.
Berit Berglund did not live up to the hype at the 2025 NCAA DI Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships.
https://swimswam.com/re-rank-top-20-ncaa-swimming-recruits-in-the-girls-high-school-class-of-2023/
I wonder why the portal opens now instead of waiting until after NCAA championships?
A very awkward situation for any NCAA qualifiers to enter now.
And I would think the coaches are focused on the championships, and too busy
to answer inquiries from potential transfers?
Herbie’s getting after it
NCAA qualifiers still have time to enter after NCAAs.
This lets the athletes who didn’t qualify for NCAAs (vast majority of portal entries) to start working on plans before housing deadlines, signing days, etc.