By Anya Pelshaw on SwimSwam
Two NCAA finalists this past season Josh Matheny and Luke Barr of Indiana have entered the NCAA transfer portal “briefly” to allow for a voluntary reallocation of scholarship money to Owen McDonald, who announced his transfer earlier this week.
Just a day before the transfer portal closed, Matheny and Barr entered with “do not contact” designations. Both entered “briefly because it gave us the option of giving some of our scholarship dollars to Owen,” Matheny said.
Entering the portal allowed Matheny and Barr to “break” their scholarship agreements and voluntarily reduce their scholarship for next season.
“Owen is a fantastic addition to the team-a great guy and an amazing swimmer. We were really excited to be able to play a small role in getting him to IU,” Matheny continued.
The Indiana men finished 4th this past season at NCAAs, only two points behind Florida. The addition of McDonald is huge for the team as they look to stay at the top of the NCAA.
McDonald’s biggest impact looks to fill some of the gap that graduating fifth year Brendan Burns leaves. McDonald was in the same NCAA ‘A’ final as Burns in both the 100 and 200 backstrokes. In addition to his backstroke ability, McDonald also brings value to the IM group as he was 2nd in the event at 2024 NCAAs. Owen’s younger brother Cooper McDonald committed last November and will also arrive this fall.
In addition to McDonald, the Hoosiers also welcome the return of their seniors that swam at NCAAs. Tomer Frankel and Jassen Yep were 2024 NCAA ‘A’ finalists while Gavin Wight swam as a relay-only swimmer for the team. The team also welcomes Brian Benzing from Towson for his fifth year.
Entering the transfer portal allows for schools to realloate one’s scholarship. As scholarships are often signed based on binding contracts, entering the portal is necessary in the case of a voluntary reallocation of scholarship. Matheny and Barr are both entering their senior seasons while Owen McDonald will arrive as a junior.
SwimSwam: Josh Matheny and Luke Barr of Indiana Enter Transfer Portal, But Have No Intention to Transfer
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