Mutual Of Omaha BREAKout! Swimmer Of The Month

Courtesy of The Mutual of Omaha BREAKout! Swim Clinic, a SwimSwam Partner.

When the Olympians and Pros come to race at the American Energy Oklahoma Pro-Am every December, you can usually hear the coaches turn to their kids on deck and say,”Hey team, the Pros are up next. Get over here and watch their technique, turns, streamlines and finishes. Look how their going fast but they make it look easy! Will you please just swim like them!”

Aiden Hayes surrounded by pro swimmers. (Photo courtesy of Josh Davis)

It is special to have the age groupers racing next to the Pros at the annual OK Pro-Am. To see the Pros up close helps the age grouper visualize what is possible and get insight on how to swim like them. But this last Pro-Am in Edmond, OK was unique because many of the Pros walked over from their Pro warm up area and said, “Hey let’s go watch this 12-year-old boy and 10-year-old girl who are breaking all these records. Their technique and aggressiveness is impressive. I need to swim like these kids!” Who were the Oklahoma kids that the Pros were admiring?

It was 12-year-old Sooner Swim Club’s Aiden Hayes and 10-year-old Piper McNeil who have been turning heads at numerous OK meets this last year. Aiden and Piper have broken over 20 State records each this last year. (Full list of final records is below. Some were broken twice in a day, prelims and finals.) Aiden swims in Norman, OK and Piper in Shawnee, OK and both are not that big for their age but they can grab the water and they can race.

2000 Olympic Team Captain and Oklahoma resident, Josh Davis got to watch many of their records this year and had this to say about Aiden and Piper. “To see a person of any age getting excited about racing, being aggressive, and striving for excellence in technique is inspiring but to see that level of intensity and dominance at such a young age is awesome to watch. Watching them makes me want to go train!”

Record Tally for Aiden Hayes
11-12 Boys Age Group

50y Free – 23.34 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record
100y Free – 50.25 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record / #61 on the All Time Top 100 According to USA Swimming
50y Back – 25.89 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record and Oklahoma SCY LSC Open Record / #22 on the All Time Top 100 According to USA Swimming List /Previous Open LSC Record held by Michael Andrew
100y Back – 55.88 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record / #39 on the All Time Top 100 According to USA Swimming
200y Back – 2:06.90 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record
50y Fly – 24.85 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record / #36 on the All Time Top 100 According to USA Swimming
100y Fly – 55.06 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record / #46 on the All Time Top 100 According to USA Swimming
200y Fly – 2:07.21 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record and Oklahoma SCY LSC Open Record
100y IM – 59.97 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record
200y IM – 2:05.80 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record
400y IM – 4:45.34 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record
100m Fly (2016 Speedo Sectionals) – 1:02.51 – Oklahoma LC LSC Record and Oklahoma Open LSC Record / Previous Open LSC Record held by Michael Andrew / #43 on the All Time Top 100 According to USA Swimming
100m Back (2016 Speedo Sectionals) – 01:06.85 – Oklahoma LC LSC Record

Piper McNeil
10 & Under Girls Age Group

50 Free – 26.02 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record and Oklahoma SCY LSC Open Record
100 Free – 57.55 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record and Oklahoma SCY LSC Open Record
200 Free – 2:07.64 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record
50 Back – 28.53 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record and Oklahoma SCY LSC Open Record
100 Back – 1:02.40 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record and Oklahoma SCY LSC Open Record
50 Fly – 29.03 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record and Oklahoma SCY LSC Open Record
100 Fly – 1:04.84 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record and Oklahoma SCY LSC Open Record
100 IM – 1:05.22 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record and Oklahoma SCY LSC Open Record
200 IM – 2:21.40 – Oklahoma SCY LSC Record

More about Aiden Hayes:
Favorite pre-race meal and pre-race snack: Home made Spaghetti and Bananas
Favorite set: 400IM/200IM/100IM / 4 times thru / 8 underwater fly kicks off every wall on fly, back, and free
What was this year like and were you pleased with your progress and records? “The season was very long with lots of hard training but in the end it all paid off. I couldn’t have accomplished any of the success without the support of my great coaches, my parents, and my teammates.”

SwimSwam and the Mutual of Omaha BREAKout! Gold Medal Team wish Aiden and Piper congratulations and continued success in and out of the pool!

If you would like to nominate your swimmer for the Mutual of Omaha BREAKout! Swimmer of the Month just write to Josh and his team here.