Indiana All-American Morgan Scott Enters NCAA Transfer Portal

The day after Indiana sprint coach Coley Stickels was announced as the new head coach at the University of Alabama, one of the school’s top sprinters entered the NCAA transfers portal.

All-American Morgan Scott will transfer after one season with the Hoosiers. She told SwimSwam on Wednesday that she would head home to Pennsylvania for the summer while she figured out her next move.

As a freshman last season, Scott earned Big Ten titles as the leadoff leg on Indiana’s 200 medley and 400 medley relays. She was actually the fastest leadoff at the Big Ten Championships on the 400 medley with a 52.21 backstroke leg and the 2nd-fastest on the 200 medley with a 24.21 backstroke leg.

*In both races, the fastest 100 yard backstroker in history, Beata Nelson, swam the butterfly legs for Wisconsin.

Individually, Scott finished 4th in the 100 free at Big Tens (48.84), 6th in the 100 back (52.33), and 7th in the 200 free (1:45.84). She wound up swimming only the 100 backstroke individually at the NCAA Championships, scratching the other 2 races. She also swam 3 relays at NCAAs.

With the loss of Scott, Indiana will be without the front 3 legs of its medley relays from last season: the country’s best breaststroker Lilly King graduated, as did Indiana’s top butterflier Christie Jensen. Medley anchor Shelby Koontz was only a junior last season. The Indiana 400 medley relay was the NCAA runner-up last year, while the 200 medley relay placed 4th.

Scott also swam on the prelims 400 free relay, which she led off in 49.26. That relay finished 21st to miss an evening swim, and it too will lose 3 swimmers (Scott, Jensen, and Bailey Andison, who is also out of eligibility).

The Hoosiers will reload their sprint group next season, with Alexis Doherty (23.05/50.79), Ashley Turak (22.10/48.72), Cora Dupre (22.46/48.96), and Grace Pangburn (23.34/51.07) all committed to Indiana in the class of 2019. They will, however, be without both sprint coaches after both Stickels and his sprint assistant Kirk Grand left the program in the last month.

 

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Realitycheck
5 years ago

Proof that one year of stability gives way to the long history of vast defectors from IU’s program for a decade.

Musical Chairs
5 years ago

Won’t they want to sprint for Jonty?

Wondering
5 years ago

Arizona State is now on the clock…

Swamfan
5 years ago

Indiana is a revolving door

Superfan
Reply to  Swamfan
5 years ago

Agree but no studs are leaving?!?

dmswim
Reply to  Superfan
5 years ago

From what I’ve heard and witnessed on my recruiting trip there (albeit over a decade ago), the studs get all of the coaches’ attention. If you aren’t a star, the coaches don’t really care about you. IU also carries relatively large rosters–34 women and 39 men for the 2018-19 season, so it’s probably pretty easy to get lost in the shuffle.

Coachy
Reply to  dmswim
5 years ago

That’s how it should be in D1 athletics. Coaches don’t get to keep their jobs Bc the 20th best athlete got a best time. They keep their jobs scoring at NCAA’s. If you want more attention, get faster or go to a school where you can be competitive. There are lots of options and teams that in sure you could swim for besides IU.

dmswim
Reply to  Coachy
5 years ago

My comment did not imply that there is anything wrong with operating a team that way. Clearly it works well at IU, but that may be why people are transferring (which is the topic of this story).

IU Swammer
Reply to  dmswim
5 years ago

I trained in the breaststroke group one summer with Ray, and he gave me almost as much time as he did Cody. I was trying to make my breast passable for a 400 IM, and he got me there in one summer. I started out slower than the women, and went a lifetime best 100 breast in practice. Ray is quirky and kind of odd when he’s trying to be inspirational. Other than that, I have no complaints about Ray. I was fighting for a travel spot my senior year and barely made the Big Ten squad, so it’s not like I was a stud.

dmswim
Reply to  IU Swammer
5 years ago

Good to hear! I’m glad I was wrong.

samulih
5 years ago

Lightning rods in swimming
1) ray looze
2) texas diving
3) nc state fast boys

has anyone ever made any kind of more deep dive in transferring? seems that most of the comments are more subjective and axes are grinded when there is not that much of facts …

dmswim
Reply to  samulih
5 years ago

You forgot Teri McKeever.

Snarky
Reply to  dmswim
5 years ago

And University of Arizona since 2010

Yolo
5 years ago

Despite having a great coaching staff, I haven’t heard much good about the culture of the Indiana team, and the amount of transfers seems to be reflecting that

WHKIRCH
Reply to  Yolo
5 years ago

If the culture is not good though, what does that really say about the coaching staff? Culture is always top to bottom.

Swim fan
Reply to  WHKIRCH
5 years ago

Agree 100%

Jillian
Reply to  Yolo
5 years ago

We don’t know the whole story. Remember Hannah Foster…
turned out to be academic related.

TomKnows
5 years ago

She already knows where she’s going. It’s not Bama. Bank on it.

Really
5 years ago

right cue, Indiana keeps up with the transfers…

James
Reply to  Really
5 years ago

Why are they leaving

LOOZING CONTROL
Reply to  James
5 years ago

*cough cough* Ray Looze *cough cough*

Anonymous
Reply to  LOOZING CONTROL
5 years ago

A child on the team might be awkward. Some parents are great coaches. Some fail.

Realitycheck
Reply to  Anonymous
5 years ago

Sorry awkward…college is about inclusiveness part of the coaching job

WHKirch
Reply to  LOOZING CONTROL
5 years ago

Can someone elaborate what makes Ray so difficult to deal with?

Jillian
Reply to  WHKirch
5 years ago

I would like to hear concrete first hand experiences not
“I heard…” The negativity on this site astounds me. We would not appreciate someone doing this to us.

IU Swanmer
Reply to  Jillian
5 years ago

As a concrete first hand experience swimming for Ray and Indiana was very tough, rewarding, and easily one of the best decisions I ever made. Wouldn’t be the person I am today without him, the staff, and IU.

Ann
Reply to  WHKirch
5 years ago

He’s very very difficult! I’ll leave it at that.

Ann
Reply to  LOOZING CONTROL
4 years ago

Definitely!

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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