Texas women’s swimmer and Olympian Lydia Jacoby has decided to forgo her last two years of eligibility and pursue professional swimming, she announced on Instagram on Wednesday.
The rising junior spent just two seasons with the Longhorns under head coach Carol Capitani, but made an immediate impact when she came in as a freshman in 2023, winning the individual national championship in the 100-meter breast. Jacoby was selected for the All-American team three separate times during her career, twice for the 100-meter breast in 2023 and 2024 and once for the 400-meter medley relay in 2023. She spent some time away from Texas during the first semester of the 2023 season, but returned just in time to help her team win the Big 12 Championships in both the 100 and 200-meter breast events.
“After careful consideration and with the support of my coaches and loved ones, I have decided to forgo my collegiate eligibility to pursue professional swimming,” Jacoby wrote in her social media post. “I committed to Texas long before my life was forever changed at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020 and am glad I honored that commitment. I have absolutely loved my two seasons of swimming for the Longhorns and I’m eternally grateful for the coaching staff and my teammates at Texas.”
Two years prior to her arrival on the Forty Acres, Jacoby qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games, where she stunned the world as a top prospect from Anchorage, Alaska. She captured gold in the women’s individual 100-meter breast and silver in the 4×100-meter medley relay for Team USA at just 17 years old.
Jacoby was expected to make headlines again this summer at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but fell short during trials after finishing third in her signature event, the 100-meter breast, and opting out of the 200-meter breast.
While it’s unclear whether Jacoby will continue training under Capitani, the swimmer said she will remain in Austin to continue pursuing her degree in advertising at the University of Texas.
