Olympic Gold Medalist Chris Guiliano Enters Transfer Portal in Wake of Notre Dame Suspension

Olympic gold medalist Chris Guiliano has entered the NCAA transfer portal, signaling his intention to leave Notre Dame after swimming three seasons for the Fighting Irish. The men’s swimming team was recently suspended for a minimum of one academic year following an investigation into gambling, and is currently also under investigation for allegations of hazing and group texts involving homophobic slurs and bestiality.

Updated 9/4/24 9:49pm: Since initial publishing, Guiliano has announced his entry to the transfer portal via Instagram. Read his full statement below.

Guiliano specializes in sprint freestyle and would be an asset to any program. He finished last NCAA season ranked in the top six in all three of his events (50/100/200 free).

He broke out his sophomore year (2022-23), when he won the ACC title in the 200 free and made two NCAA B-final appearances. Later that summer, he placed 2nd at U.S. Nationals in the 100 free, earning an individual event berth with a new best time (47.98). Guiliano went on to win silver in the mixed 4×100 free relay and bronze in the men’s 4×100 free relay in Fukuoka. Prior to that season, he had never broken 49 seconds in the event.

The momentum kept rolling into Guiliano’s junior season. He swept his events at the ACC Championships (50, 100, 200 free), and made the A-final in all three at NCAAs. He scored 45 points to help lead the Fighting Irish to finish 10th overall, a program high.

He wasn’t done yet. This summer at the U.S. Olympic Trials, Guiliano became the first male swimmer from Notre Dame to earn an Olympic berth on Team USA. He qualified in the 50, 100, and 200 free, becoming the first U.S. man to do so since Matt Biondi in 1988. While he couldn’t quite replicate his times in Paris, he still left with relay medals in the 4×100 free (gold) and 4×200 free (silver).

Collegiate Time Progression (SCY)

According to Sports Illustrated, Guiliano is not thought to have participated in the gambling that led to Notre Dame’s suspension. If this can be proven true, then it seems he has a path to compete this season according to the NCAA Division I manual:

10.4 Disciplinary Action. Prospective or enrolled student-athletes found in violation of the provisions of this regulation shall be ineligible for further intercollegiate competition, subject to appeal to the Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement for restoration of eligibility.

Still, the transfer portal deadline has long past (May 3rd), which may further complicate the process. Entering the portal also does not require an athlete to transfer; rather, it gives them the opportunity to talk to other schools about the possibility of transferring. While transfer portal rules are constantly evolving, one compliance director explained to SwimSwam that if a student athlete still has eligibility remaining, they may be required to enter the transfer portal to transfer to another institution even if they do not intend to compete for the varsity squad at the other institution.

Fall semester classes began at Notre Dame on August 27th.

Guiliano is the first ND swimmer to enter the transfer portal that we know of. We already saw #4 recruit Nathan Szobota flip his commitment to UVA, though he wouldn’t have arrived on campus until the fall of 2025.