14-Year-Old Leah Hayes Cranks Out 1:57 200 IM SCY

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

14-year-old Leah Hayes of the Fox Valley Park District Riptides in Illinois returned to racing over the weekend at her club team’s intrasquad meet in the Chicago suburbs. Hayes is one of the top age group swimmers in the United States as she was the junior national r unner-up last summer in the 200 IM and has also been honored as the Sports Illustrated Sports Kid of the Year Award.

Leah Hayes swam a 1:57.88 in the 200 IM over the weekend as she moved up to sixth all-time in the 13-14 age group in that event, improving on her best time of 1:58.58 from December 2018 where she sat eighth all-time. The NAG record is still held by Alex Walsh at 1:56.20 from 2015 as she now sits behind two-time World champ in the 200 IM Katie Hoff.

Leah Hayes in 2016. Photo Courtesy: Hayes family

Hayes also swam the 100 backstroke where she swam a 55.90 to drop almost a second and a half on her best time, and also broke 50 seconds for the first time in the 100 freestyle with a 49.83. Hayes is in her sophomore year of high school and is one of the top recruits in the class of 2023.

Leah Hayes has been one of the top age groupers the last few years, having been highlighted as an up-and-comer in Swimming World Magazine in October 2016. She was second in the 200 IM at the 2019 Summer Juniors and was also the B-Final champ in the 400 IM at that meet last summer.

All-Time Rankings (Girls 200 IM 13-14 SCY)

1:56.20, Alex Walsh, 2015
1:56.69, Regan Smith, 2016
1:57.22, Charlotte Hook, 2018
1:57.70, Missy Franklin, 2010
1:57.76, Katie Hoff, 2004
1:57.88, Leah Hayes, 2020
1:58.31, Brooke Zettel, 2018
1:58.57, Justina Kozan, 2018
1:58.60, Bella Sims, 2019
1:58.66, Lucy Bell, 2019

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