The transfer portal has become vital to the new world of collegiate athletics. Coaches and teams nationwide have been forced to evolve and use the portal, as it’s now an integral part of all NCAA sports. For the numerous athletes who transfer, the results of their success vary. But every year, we see a handful of athletes who’ve carved their way on a new team and are making a serious impact. This year in swimming, two of those people are Jasmine Nocentini and Jordan Tiffany.
Jasmine Nocentini (Virginia)
Nocentini transferred from Northwestern to Virginia as a graduate transfer this fall and, since her arrival, has done nothing but blow everyone’s expectations out of the water. Her path to Virginia was that of a long, windy road.
Nocentini, an international athlete, started her career at Florida International University at 17 years old, joining the team in January 2020. She remained an FIU Panther through the spring of 2021 before transferring to Northwestern. Nocentini spent two seasons with the Wildcats, but her time competing for the Wildcats in 2023 was cut significantly short due to a shoulder injury. This last spring, Nocentini was undoubtedly one of the top swimmers in the transfer portal. Before she transferred to Virginia, these were Nocentini’s best times in short course yards.
- 100 breast – 58.31
- 50 free – 21.59
- 100 free – 47.76
- 200 free – 1:45.42
It took Nocentini only a short time this season to set a new PR. In a practice suit at the Virginia-Texas Superfinal/Dual meet, Nocentini exceeded expectations and set a new personal record in the 100 breaststroke. Here is her list of performances at that meet.
- 50 free: 21.89
- 100 Free: 47.82
- 100 Breast: 58.19 (PR)
Three weeks later, Nocetini led off Virginia’s 200 and 400 free relays at the Texas Invitational, where she posted two A cuts and personal bests, one in the 50 free (21.45) and another in the 100 free (46.75).
Nocentini is currently ranked second in the country in the 50 and 100 free, only behind her teammate Gretchen Walsh, while her unsuited 100 breaststroke of 58.19 ranks fifth.
For the Cavaliers, Nocetini has been a perfect fit for relays and helps fill in for the loss of last year’s stars, Kate Douglass and Lexi Cuomo. Come March, Nocentini will be a serious contributor and an individual title contender for a Virginia team that looks to capture its fourth NCAA title in four years.
Jordan Tiffany (BYU)
Tiffany’s path from Tennessee to BYU was a unique one. Tiffany wasn’t a traditional transfer who sought a new college after leaving a prior one. For Tiffany, he wound up on the BYU team after taking a nearly two-year hiatus from college swimming – a break he initially thought he would never return from.
Tifanny is originally from Utah and was a highly touted recruit in the Class of 2020. He committed to swim for Tennessee. In his first year at Tennessee, Tiffany saw minimal improvement. In a BYU radio interview this September, Tiffany explained that he struggled with mental health and decided to leave the program following the 2020-2021 season. Tiffany explained that at that time, he really had no intentions of ever swimming collegiately again.
Here is where Tiffany’s best times stood after his first year at Tennessee. At this time, he was primarily focused on the 100 and 200 fly and the IM.
- 50 Free – 21.53 (High School)
- 100 Free – 45.48 (High School)
- 100 Fly – 47.23
- 100 Back – 48.15 (High School)
- 200 Back – 1:46.45
- 200 Fly – 1:43.96
- 200 IM – 1:47.24
Tiffany returned home to Utah, where he worked in landscaping, and started taking classes at Utah Valley University. However, Tiffany applied and got accepted to BYU, and in the fall of 2022, Tiffany became a student at the school. His initial intention was to only go for academics, but in November 2022, he wound up on the BYU swimming team. Tiffany took a redshirt for the 2022-2023 season.
Since Tiffany’s time at BYU, he has transitioned to sprinting and looks like one of the best in the country. This season at the Mizzou Invitational, Tiffany dominated and captured three first-place finishes. Here are his times from the meet.
- 100 Fly – 44.85
- 100 Free – 42.60
- 100 Back – 45.24
- 50 Free – 19.67 (Relay Leadoff)
- 50 Back – 21.20 (Relay Leadoff)
- 50 Fly – 21.06 (Split)
In March, Tifanny will indeed be a point scorer for the Cougars, and he’ll continue to make a name for himself and for BYU.