College Swimmer Stripped of Title Seconds After 'Rule-Breaking' Victory Celebration

Owen Lloyd, an All-American swimmer for North Carolina State University, emerged victorious in the 1,650-yard freestyle race at the ACC Swimming and Diving Championships on Feb. 24. But just seconds after he touched the wall, the athlete had his title stripped due to violating an official rule.

Lloyd’s teammate Ross Dant came in second place just a few seconds later. Lloyd reached over the barrier between them to celebrate with Dant, but he inadvertently fell into Dant's lane while the race was still happening. This was a violation of the NCAA's rules, which state that "Any competitor who interferes with another swimmer during a race shall be disqualified from that race, subject to the discretion of the referee." As a result, Dant was awarded first place.

Once he realized he was being disqualified, Lloyd was visibly upset and buried his head in his hands. He shared his honest thoughts in an Instagram post but ultimately kept his head held high.

"Upset, angry, and confused about what happened tonight, but not defeated," the 22-year-old wrote. "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," he concluded.

Dant, meanwhile, wasn't exactly thrilled to be declared the victor at his teammate's expense.

"I think that’s the dumbest rule in swimming," he stated plainly on the ACC Network. "Owen beat me fair and square. He should be on that podium."

“He was excited. That was a huge win for him. He earned that, and that’s his emotion," he added. "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."

Lloyd even poked fun at the decision, posting a meme-like photo from the victory podium declaring that "grumpy old officials" and "bonehead discretionary rules" are both responsible for "ruining the sport of swimming."