3x NCAA Champion and Canadian Olympian Taylor Ruck will return to Stanford next year to finish her NCAA athletic eligibility.
Ruck began at Stanford in the 2018-2019 season where she was a member of Stanford’s Pac-12 and NCAA Championship team. She was a member of Stanford’s 800 freestyle relay that won the NCAA title and was a seven time All-American that season.
Ruck then redshirted the 2019-2020 season to prepare for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that were eventually postponed due to COVID-19. Ruck then redshirted the 2020-2021 season meaning that she technically does not have the “COVID-19 waiver”.
She went on to represent Canada at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where she finished sixth in the 200 backstroke (2:08.24) and ninth in the 100 backstroke (59.45) missing out on the A final by 0.15 seconds. She also swam prelims of Canada’s 400 freestyle and 400 medley relays.
Ruck returned to Stanford this past season and was listed as a redshirt junior on the school’s athletic webpage. In December 2021, she opened up about her battle with an eating disorder.
In February she went on to help Stanford to another Pac-12 Championship. There she finished second in the 200 backstroke (1:49.73) as well as third in the 50 freestyle (22.04) and 100 backstroke (51.21).
Ruck was huge in Stanford’s third place finish as a team at the 2022 NCAA Championships. Ruck won the individual NCAA title in the 200 freestyle swimming a time of 1:41.12. She also had a huge split on Stanford’s 800 freestyle relay that also won an NCAA title. Ruck had the fastest 200 freestyle split of anyone in the field with a 1:40.49 which also was her second fastest relay split of all-time.
SwimSwam reached out to Stanford Women’s Head Coach Greg Meehan for clarification on Ruck’s eligibility. Meehan said that this next season will be her last year of collegiate competition and that Ruck will be finishing up her undergraduate education. She did, however, post pictures celebrating with graduates of the class of 2022 – which was the group that she came to Stanford with.
If she swam the 2020-2021 year, would she technically have 2 years of eligibility left?
Seems backward, but then I’m trying to figure out NCAA decisions before having coffee, so that’s on me.
Having followed Stanford women’s swimming for a number of years, she was one of my all-time favorite recruits upon committing to SU back in ’18. Taylor’s subsequent valleys and recent peaks in her career…along with her courageous admission of her eating disorder…have made me evermore proud of her. She IS a champion: literally and figuratively.
her 200fr win was one of the best moments of the meet
I’m confused, did she graduate or not? No right?
No. She took pictures to celebrate with the class that she came to Stanford with, but she’s still wrapping up undergrad.