Missy Franklin to leave Cal swim team to focus on Olympics

As Missy Franklin started to walk out of Berkeley’s Haas Pavilion, she flung her backpack over her shoulder and asked, “Anyone want to go to sociocultural anthropology?”

There were no takers. Which is too bad. The sophomore swimmer won’t be able to offer that kind of invitation for much longer. The daily college grind portion of the 19-year-old Olympic champion’s life is about to end, at least for a little while. Franklin’s leaving Cal’s swim team to turn pro, eyes set on the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“This will, I guess, really start my professional career,” Franklin said of her upcoming transition. “This way I’ll be able to start my job and start my career and really start saving the money that’s going to sustain me, and hopefully, my future family for a while.”

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