Olympic gold medalist Troy Dalbey will not be swimming at BYU, the Deseret News has learned.
BYU Coach Tim Powers said Tuesday that Dalbey has been denied entrance due to academic deficiencies. "Troy won't be with us," said Powers.Dalbey, who won two gold medals as a member of the 400- and 800-meter American relay teams, announced last summer that he would attend BYU. The move stunned the swimming world, because Dalbey was transferring from the nationally renowned Florida program to an unheralded BYU program. Dalbey even went so far as to rent an apartment in Provo, where he stayed from October until about two weeks ago.
The San Jose, Calif., native became an internationally known figure when he and a teammate were arrested during the Summer Games for taking a lion's head bust from a Seoul hotel. Charges were dropped, but Dalby and the teammate were sent home early.
Powers said there were two home study courses Daleby had not completed. The coach said there is a slim chance Dalbey could still become eligible, but, "I'm not holding my breath."
Speculation is that Dalbey will attend either Arizona State or Southern Cal. Dalbey's family recently moved to Phoenix.- Brad Rock