Rising Duke senior Sarah Foley has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal to explore the possibility of transferring for the 2024-2025 season and use her 5th year of collegiate eligibility elsewhere.
Foley, who anticipates graduating from Duke with a degree in psychology in spring 2024, was awarded a bonus 5th year of eligibility along with all other swimmers who competed in the 2020-2021 NCAA swimming & diving season because of the complications from COVID-19. She was a freshman that season, making her part of the last class that will receive this waiver.
Entering the portal does not require an athlete to transfer, rather it gives them the flexibility to discuss transferring with coaches at other programs. For her part, Foley told SwimSwam on Monday that she was exploring the possibility of using a 5th year elsewhere but is also considering staying at Duke for that extra season.
She is hoping to pursue a graduate degree in the field of business.
A native of Philadelphia, Foley has qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of her three seasons with the Blue Devils.
Foley’s NCAA Championships individual placements:
| Freshman NCAAs | Sophomore NCAAs | Junior NCAAS | |
| 100 breast | 43rd – 1:00.81 | ||
| 200 breast | 40th – 2:11.77 | 9th – 2:05.78 | 9th – 2:06.58 |
| 200 IM | 38th – 1:58.64 | 6th – 1:54.38 | 8th – 1:54.96 |
| 200 free | 19th – 1:45.12 | ||
| 400 IM | 22nd – 4:11.09 |
Foley arrived at Duke as primarily a sprint breaststroker, but during her sophomore year, she evolved dramatically toward the 200 breaststroke and 200 IM events. That includes back-to-back First Team All-America nods in the 200 IM at the 2022 and 2023 NCAA Championships.
In total, she has earned three All-America honors in three seasons at Duke. She holds Duke school records in five individual events and two relay events, and was one of two scorers for Duke at the NCAA Championships (along with freshman Kaelyn Gridley, also a breaststroker). Duke ultimately finished 21st at NCAA Championships with 40 total points: 20 from each swimmer.
After the meet, Foley posted a remembrance of Duke’s former head coach Dan Collela, who died in December as a result of complications from prostate cancer. Doak Finch finished the season as Duke’s interim head coach.
UVA incoming ???
Sarah gets overshadowed by the pure insanity that is IM depth right now at the college level (especially in the ACC), but she’s been 1:54 multiple times in the 200, that’s not messing around. Pretty versitely too, with both breast events, 400 IM, and I’m pretty sure she’s been sub 1:44 leading off an 800 free relay too. If she decides to leave Duke, she gonna be a huge get for any program.
Looks like she is graduating in 3 years rather than the usual 4, doesn’t that mean she actually has two more years of eligibility?
She is looking to use her 5th year as a graduate transfer after she graduates from Duke in Spring 2024. Like what Maggie MacNeil did when she explored options before her senior year at Michigan
Great move. Keep options open and get a valuable Duke degree.
What the hell is a “rising senior”. Most overused phrase on this site.
It’s a junior who is on their way to becoming a senior. It’s a designation used in the off-season to clarify confusion over when a swimmer’s class designation is rolled over from current year to next year.
I work in the business world and we get a LOT of interns. I’ve heard the phrase for at least 10 years now about a “rising” whatever class. It’s not just limited to athletes.
Sarah Foley just announced on her instagram that she’s joining Coley Stickels’s all new pro group
Leaving it up because it’s funny, replying so everyone knows it’s a joke.