A college swimmer was swiftly stripped of his conference title after getting too overzealous in his victory.
All-American senior and North Carolina State swimmer Owen Lloyd had just swam one of the best races in his life - finishing first in the 1650-yard freestyle at the ACC Swimming and Diving Championships. Lloyd clocked in the impressive time of 14:37.04 to win the race and was set to claim the number 1 spot on the podium.
However, his subsequent celebration with his teammate cost him everything.
Ross Dant - Lloyd’s teammate - secured second place in the race, which saw Lloyd then throw himself on top of the barrier to celebrate their top positions. However, his exuberance caused him to fall into his teammate's lane as the race was still ongoing - something that race officials didn't take too kindly to.
According to the NCAA Swimming & Diving rulebook, "any competitor who interferes with another swimmer during a race shall be disqualified from that race, subject to the discretion of the referee."
And this is exactly what happened, as refs made the call to disqualify Lloyd for "interfering with another swimmer" - stripping him of his first place victory, and allowing Dant to be crowned the winner. As of this writing, the New York Post reports that NCAA representatives have yet to elaborate on the decision.
When the decision was made, Lloyd could be seen poolside burying his head in his hands.
In a post-race interview, Dant branded the call as the "dumbest rule in swimming".
Voicing support for his teammate, Dant adding: "Owen beat me fair and square. He should be on that podium."
"[Lloyd] was excited. That was a huge win for him. He earned that, and that’s his emotion. That’s what we get in the sport of swimming when we do well. We train all year for a moment like that, and to have him disqualified is the dumbest thing ever," he continued.
Over on Instagram, Lloyd reacted to the decision by writing: "Upset, angry, and confused about what happened tonight, but not defeated. They can take away the points and the official win but they can never take away my drive, my passion, and my love for my team.
"There are lessons to be learned and I’m sure I will find the silver linings in this experience but I know that I am not finished and that all of this just added more fuel to the fire."
Despite being listed as the winner, Dant chose not to represent himself as the victor during the ceremony.
Swim fans also took to X to defend Lloyd and slam the NCAA's ruling, with one person writing: "The swimmers in both lanes were finished. Times were logged. No impact to any other swimmer in the race. Two friends sharing a happy, not obnoxious, celebratory moment. Not right."
A second added: "Coming from a former swimmer, this is one of the dumbest rules in swimming. I’d understand it if Owen went into the lane of someone still swimming, but into his teammate’s lane who had already finished? No. Owen deserved the trophy, and kudos to Ross for the great sportsmanship."
Others were also quick to celebrate Dant's attitude in the aftermath, with one fan writing: "When you look up 'teammate' in the dictionary, there’s a picture of Ross Dant next to it."
What do you think of the decision? Let us know in the comments!
