Aiden Hayes is an American butterflyer. Hayes represents NC State in the NCAA where he is a NCAA Champion in the 200 butterfly Since a young age, Hayes has set records. At one point, he held the Oklahoma 50 free record for the 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, and 17-18 age categories, both the 100 and 200 fly 17-18 NAG Records, and set 2 National Public High School Records. He was the top recruit in the high school class of 2021.
Junior/High School Swimming
2015 AESC Halloween Meet (Edmond, Oklahoma)
Hayes’ record-breaking began at a young age. He broke the Oklahoma State Record in the 11-12 100 fly with a 57.69
2016 AESC Winter Ice Breaker (Edmond, Oklahoma)
Hayes continued his record-setting streak with a super quick 56.00 100 fly. Swimming in the open division against college athletes, Hayes finished tenth in the men’s 100 fly with a best time. Throughout his 11-12 campaign, Hayes reset over a dozen records in Oklahoma. In yards, he reset the 50 free (23.34), 100 free (50.25), 50 back (25.89), 100 back (55.88), 200 back (2:06.90), 50y fly (24.85), 100 fly (55.06), 200 fly (2:07.21), 100 IM (59.97), 200 IM (2:05.80), and 400 IM (4:45.34) records. In long course, he reset the 100 fly (1:02.51) and 100 Back (1:06.85) Oklahoma LSC Records.
2016 AESC Halloween Meet (Edmond, Oklahoma)
Hayes, now 13, topped the 100 fly with a 53.32. That time was a new PB and was 4.3 seconds faster than he was at that meet just a year prior. He also won the 50 free with a new PB of 23.02.
2016 AESC Elite Meet (Edmond, Oklahoma)
As the youngest swimmer in the 100 fly final, Hayes raced to a silver medal in 51.56, a new PB. Hayes posted best time in nearly every event. His new PRs included a 22.63 50 free, 49.98 100 free, 54.19 100 back, 1:59.53 200 back, and 2:03.98 200 IM.
2017 Oklahoma Short Course Championships (Edmond, Oklahoma)
Hayes absolutely dominated with 5 wins and 2 runner-up finishes. He posted PBs in every single one of his races. Most notably, Hayes clocked a 49.94 100 fly. He was 22.07/48.75/1:47.35 in the 50/100/200 free, 53.46 in the 100 back, 1:59.09 in the 200 fly, and 1:57.84 in the 200 IM
2017 Winter Junior National Championships–West (Iowa City, Iowa)
Hayes crushed some massive PBs at Winter Juniors. At just 14, Hayes made finals in 2 events and posted PBs in both. In the 100 fly, he was a speedy 48.44 for 11th in the final, and in the 100 back, he took the C final with a 49.23. Hayes also time-trialed the 50 free (20.96) and 200 fly (1:52.80). Both were PBs.
2017 AESC Elite Meet (Edmond, Oklahoma)
Just a week removed from Winter Juniors, Hayes took on a massive meet schedule and came away with some all-time great swims in the 13-14 NAG. As the only finalist finalist 14 or younger, Hayes topped the 100 fly with an absurd 48.33. He took .11 seconds off his best the remain the #3 swimmer in the 13-14 NAG behind only Andrei Minakov (47.78) and Michael Andrew (46.95). On the same night, He led off the 200 medley relay in 22.91, Anchored the 400 free relay in 45.94, and put up a solid 1:45.05 200 free.
The next night, Hayes lowered his 50 free best to 20.70, making him #6 all-time in his age group. Just minutes later, Hayes swam a 49.71 100 back. While not a PB, Hayes already ranked #7 all-time in the event in the 13-14 NAG. Hayes later posted a 46.82 100 free, a 1:52.13 100 back, and a 1:55.48 200 IM.
2018 OSSAA Class 6A State Swimming Championships
Just a freshman, Hayes took home the gold in both the 50 free and 100 fly. In the former, he was 20.83 and in the latter, he was 49.14. Hayes also led off the victorious 200 free relay as the rest of the team combined for a 1:25.05. Similarly, Hayes and Norman North won the 400 free relay with a 3:10.17. None of Hayes’ times were PBs.
2018 Columbia SC Sectional Championships (Columbia, Missouri)
Hayes wrapped up his season at the Columbia Sectionals. Though he wasn’t quite on the same form as he was in at Winter Juniors, Hayes was still speedy with a 21.22 50 free, a 29.27 100 back, and a 48.73 100 fly. Hayes did put up a PB of 1:52.32 in the 200 fly.
2018 Jenks Trojan Swim Club Fall Invitational (Jenks, Oklahoma)
In his first meet of the 2018-19 season, Hayes, now 15, showed he was already in an impressive form. He was 48.88 in his primary 100 fly, 50.34 in the 100 back. Hayes set new PBs by large margins in the 100 free (45.87) and 200 fly (1:50.35). He was also not far off his bests in the 200 IM (1:55.56) and 50 free (20.80).
2018 Winter Junior National Championships–West (Austin, Texas)
Sooner Swim Club had the fastest leadoff in the 200 medley relay as Hayes cracked a 21.91 50 back. That relay squad ended up 3rd at the finish. The next morning, Hayes, still 15 mind you, crushed a 20.31 to make it back in the A final of the 50 free. There, he improved further to 20.11 for 6th. He ended the 2nd night with a massive 47.34 leadoff on the Sooner 400 medley relay. That split moved him to #19 in the 15-16 NAG with another year ahead.
The next day, Hayes swam his best events. In the 100 fly, Hayes dropped over a second across prelims and finals to place 3rd in 46.96. That swim moved him to #7 all-time in the 15-16 NAG rankings. Then, Hayes took 2nd in the 100 back, just .20 seconds off his new PB of 47.26 which he set in prelims. That PB moved him up to #14 all-time for the 15-16 age group.
2019 OSSAA Class 6A State Swimming Championships
The highlight of Hayes’ sophomore year campaign for Norman North had to be taking down Olympic Champion David Plummer’s Oklahoma State Record of 49.32 in the 100 back. Hayes did more than lower it though, he obliterated the record by over 2 seconds with a 47.28. Plummer, who set his record in 2003, congratulated him via Twitter and Hayes’ parents posted a video of the race.
Big congrats to @hayitsaiden on some awesome swimming today! Awesome to see some amazing swimming at the OK HS champs! https://t.co/dZmwYtTj92
— David Plummer (@davideplummer) February 16, 2019
Congrats to Sophomore @hayitsaiden on a huge day at OK HS State Champs. 21.36 Back to lead off the Medley Relay, 20.09 to set a new State Record in the 50, 47.28 to set a new State Record in the 100 Back, and 44.64 anchor split on the 400 Free Relay. @swimswamnews #statechamp pic.twitter.com/59qcAo23AW
— Ben and Becky Hayes (@benandbecky123) February 16, 2019
Hayes and Norman North had already set the 200 medley relay record with a 1:31.61 as Hayes threw down a 21.36 leadoff, which was actually faster than any of the freestylers in the final. Hayes also clocked a PB of 20.09 in the 50 free, another state record. To finish the session, Hayes anchored the 400 free relay in 44.64 as Norman North won in a 3:03.47.
2019 Columbia SC Sectional Championships (Columbia, Missouri)
Sooner Swim Club and Hayes, still only 15, set meet records in the 200 free and medley relays on the first night. Hayes led off the medley relay in 21.46 and anchored the 200 free relay in 19.75.
The next night, in the 100 fly, Hayes blasted a 46.64, winning the event as the only swimmer under 47 seconds. Hayes was already ranked 7th all-time for 15-16 boys with his previous best of 46.96. His new time actually kept him in that position. He then went on to throw down an impressive 21.23 in the 50 back to win that event as well.
He doubled up again the next night with wins in the 50 free and 100 back. In the 50 free, Hayes was the only competitor to dip below 20, touching the wall at 19.73. That time ranked #9 all-time in the 15-16 age group. He also won the 100 back in 47.48.
On the 4th night, Hayes took the men’s 200 fly, posting a 1:47.01 for a new lifetime best. The time pulled Hayes up to 47th all-time for 15-16 boys. Hayes was also 45.15 for 5th in the 100 free.
2019 Jenks LC Sectionals (Jenks, Oklahoma)
Hayes, now 16, topped the 50 back and fly with PBs of 26.34 and 24.70 respectively. Hayes also topped the 200 fly with a solid 2:04.92 and took 2nd in the 100 fly with a 55.34. Hayes was also 23.60 in the 50 free and 58.96 in the 100 back.
2019 Summer Junior National Championships (Palo Alto, California)
Hayes took 2nd in the 100 fly with a super quick 53.92. It was a best time by .06, just enough to move him up two spots to #18 on the all-time list in the 15-16 NAG and clock an Olympic Trials cut. Hayes also dropped time in the 200 fly. Seeded 18th with a 2:03.72, he went 2:01.20 in finals to place 18th. He missed the 2020 Olympic Trials cut in the 200 by .01.
2019 Winter Junior National Championships–West (Federal Way, Washington)
Hayes came away from his 3rd Winter Juniors as an unmitigated star. Hayes opened the meeting with a massive 19.58 50 free to take the win with a new PB by .15 seconds. The next morning, hayes posted PBs in both the 100 fly and back with a time of 46.39 and 46.83 respectively, good for 2nd and 1st seed respectively. In the final, Hayes maintained seed while shaving time off in both events. In the 100 fly, Hayes nearly cracked the 46-second barrier with a 46.01 while boasting the fastest 2nd 50 with a 24.45. In the 100 back, Hayes won by exactly 1 second and improved by just over half a second from prelims with a 46.31.
On the final day, Hayes took 4th in the 100 free with a 44.01 before rocking a 1:41.34 200 fly that moved him to #2 all-time in the age group. Hayes came in the day with a lifetime best of 1:47.01. He moved ahead of Michael Phelps in the age group, with only Luca Urlando’s 1:40.91 sitting ahead of him in the rankings.
2020 OSSAA Class 6A State Swimming Championships (Jenks, Oklahoma)
Hayes was just off his best form but still dominated the competition as Norman North placed 3rd as a team. Hayes racked up wins in both the 50 free and 100 back. In the 50, he just missed his meet record with a 20.16 but came back later to take down his 100 back record with a 46.79. Hayes combined with template Daniel Wilson to help Norman North to a title and 6A record in the 200 free relay. Hayes dominated with a 19.90 split on the 3rd slot followed by Wilson. The two met back up in the 400 free relay with Hayes splitting 43.78 on the penultimate leg and Wilson splitting a 44.25 as Norman took the gold by about 4 seconds in 3:03.73.
2021 Pro Swim Series – Richmond (Richmond, Virginia)
Hayes, now 17, clocked a big best time in the 100 fly, taking the prelims in 52.92. It was exactly a 1-second drop off his best. He found a further .11 seconds in the final to drop down to a 52.81 but was beaten out by Coleman Stewart. Later, he won the 100 fly with a huge PB of 1:58.33, a best time by nearly 2 seconds. His time ranked as the 20th all-time fastest American 17-18 year-old in the event.
2021 OSSAA 6A West Regionals (Edmond, Oklahoma)
In a prelude to what was to come at the Oklahoma State Championships, Hayes crushed a 19.90 50 free for the win. While his 50 freestyle wasn’t a best time, it was the fastest that he has been since turning 17, allowing him to down Daniel Wilson‘s 17-18-year-old Oklahoma State record of 20.09 from 2019, giving Hayes the 50 free records in the 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, and 17-18 age categories. His second win was the 100 butterfly in which he touched the wall nearly 6 seconds ahead of anyone else in the event.
2021 OSSAA Class 6A State Swimming Championships (Jenks, Oklahoma)
With just his prelims swims, Hayes already made some massive waves. In the 100 fly prelims, Hayes dropped a lifetime best 45.97, slicing .04 off of his old best. That time came in under the officially recognized NISCA National Public High School Record of 46.31 belonging to Aaron Whitaker from 2014. At least two other public high school swimmers have been faster than that: Luca Urlando edged out Caeleb Dressel‘s old ‘public HS best’ of 45.89 with his swim two years ago. Hayes also went under the NFHS-recognized public record of 46.13 done by Andrew Seliskar in 2015. These discrepancies happen; sometimes a time isn’t submitted for recognition, or proper pool measurement isn’t done.
Earlier in the prelims session, hayes chipped .05 off his 50 free PB with a 19.53. That took down his own Oklahoma State Record and, despite only being 17, tied him at #23 all-time in the 17-18 NAG rankings. Even before his 50 free fireworks, Hayes fired off a 20.75 50 back, among the fastest-ever, regardless of age. Hayes finished off what might be one of the greatest prelims in high school swimming history with another Oklahoma State Record with a 43.48 to lead off Norman North’s 400 free relay.
Hayes brought to an end all the tiptoeing about what the National Public High School Record actually was. In the final, Hayes crushed a new national high school record, going 45.47 to snap Joseph Schooling‘s overall record (which was also the independent record) of 45.52 from back in 2013. That swim tied him for 6th all-time in the 17-18 NAG.
20 minutes prior, Hayes dropped an absurd 19.20 50 free to set a national high school record, undercutting Matt Brownstead’s 19.24. The swim also ranked Hayes #5 all-time in the 17-18 NAG. Hayes was a little slower in the 50 back, leading off Norman North’s 200 medley relay with a 20.78. Incredibly, he built a 3.5-second lead for his team but it was not enough to take home the title. Hayes wrapped his historic session with one final PB. Leading off the 400 free relay, Hayes went 43.00. Norman North placed 3rd.
On the SwimSwam Podcast post-meet, Hayes admitted that out of all 4 of his times, he only met one of his goals – 20.9 in the 50 back. Hayes said was shooting for 18.9 50 free, 44.9 100 fly, and 42.9 100 free, though he was still very pleased with his performances.
2021 Jenks Sectionals (Jenks, Oklahoma)
Hayes was able to convert his SCY to the LCM pool with PBs in all 4 of his events. In his signature 100 fly, he shaved .11 seconds off his best with a 52.70. That swim elevated him to a tie for 12th all-time for 17-18 boys in the event and a new CZ Sectionals Record. Hayes turned around the next day and took his 200 fly down to a 1:58.02 to rank #13 in the 17-18 NAG. In the 50 free, he dropped .76 seconds to go a 22.77, just .06 off a Wave II Olympic Trials Cut. In the 100 free, he dropped to 51.33. The 50 free, 100 fly, and 200 fly times he set all topped the leaderboard for the National 18 and Under Vitural Spring Championships.
College Swimming
Hayes was ranked #2 on our initial list of way too early recruit ranks for the high school class of 2021. He had the class-leading 100 fly as a sophomore. In October 2019, Hayes announced his verbal commitment to NC State. In the 2020 re-rank of his class, Hayes moved into the top spot thanks to his big 200 fly improvement. Hayes was actually ranked as the #10 recruit of the 2010s as just a junior in high school. In our senior year re-rank, Hayes remained the top recruit in the class of 2021.
2021-22
Hayes flew under the radar until mid-season invites as he adapted to NC State. While Hayes did not post any best times at the NC State/GAC Invite, He posted solid times in all of his events. On the first full day of racing, he hit a 19.90 in the 50 free and split 45.93 on fly in one of NC State’s exhibition 400 medley relays. The next night, Hayes took on the 100 fly/back double. In the former, he put up a 46.67while in the latter, he took 3rd with a solid 46.85 100 back, getting under the NCAA “B” cut. On the final day, Hayes put up a 1:42.02 200 fly for 3rd.
In a highly-anticipated Fortnite Battle Royale clash with the Florida Men, NC State opened up with a 5-4 victory featuring the two ‘A’ teams, and then Florida’s ‘B’ team got the better of the Wolfpack in the second round, 7-2. In the tiebreaker, Hayes, who was named MVP, led NC State to the victory royale.
On the first full night of the 2022 ACC Championships, Hayes posted a season-best 19.49 for 14th in the 50 free. The following day, Hayes put up a 45.79 to qualify 7th for the 100 fly final. There, despite going out .44 seconds faster, Hayes hit the exact same time and finished 7th. Hayes’ final event was undoubtedly the highlight of his freshman ACCs. After qualifying for the 200 fly final 6th with a 1:42.66, he busted out a new best time of 1:40.39 for 3rd behind Nicholas Albiero’s absurd 1:37.92. Hayes’ time was under the NCAA “A” cut and set a new 17-18 NAG record.
Hayes opened his first NCAA Championship by nearly bettering his 50 free PB. His 19.29 was just .09 seconds off his best time and good for 25th. In the same session, Hayes anchored NC State’s 200 free relay in 18.90 as they placed 4th. The next morning, Hayes kept things rolling in the 100 fly. Hayes was seeded 35th but after slashing .69 seconds off his best, Hayes made the A final with a 44.78. That time broke Tom Shields’s NAG Record from 2010 (44.91). Hayes was even better in the finals, placing 7th with a 44.75. He was out .16 seconds faster at the turn but faded just a bit compared to his morning swim. In his final event, Hayes missed the 200 fly “A” final by just .03 seconds as he missed his PB by .27 seconds. In the “B” final that night, Hayes ended up 14th with a 1:41.46.
2022-23
In our pre-season NCAA Championship picks, Editor-In-Chief Braden Kieth selected Hayes as a potential upset winner in the 100 fly.
Hayes again flew under the radar until the NC State/GAC Invite. There, he was a 45.89/46.06 in the 100 fly/back double, with the latter being a new PB. Hayes led off NC State’s 200 medley relay with a solid 20.86 50 back. In the 200 fly, he was off his best by over 2 seconds with a 1:42.82.
In late January, Hayes equaled his 100 fly season best of 45.89 against Texas. He lost that race at the touch to a charge from teammate Nyls Korstanje. On the 2nd day of the NC State/Texas showdown, Hayes neared his 100 back PB with a 46.66 for 2nd behind Kacper Stokowski. In the same session, Hayes led off the Wolfpack’s “B” 200 free relay with a season best 19.85.
By the time the 2023 ACC Championships rolled around, Hayes came into full form. In his first event, the 50 free, Hayes was on season best form with a 19.41 in prelims for 9th. He made the most of his 2nd swim by scoring a new PB of 19.09 to win the “B” final. The next morning, Hayes nearly broke his PR with a 44.81 in the 100 fly for the 2nd seed in the final. There, he dipped under his PB with a 44.66 for 2nd behind Youssef Ramadan’s 43.93, leading a 2-3-4 finish for the Wolfpack. The following day, Hayes cruised to a season-best 1:41.77 in the 200 fly prelims before crushing a 1:40.21 PB to become an ACC Champion. While he did not swim any relays, Hayes still made major contributions to the NC State Men’s team win with 80 out of 90 possible points in individual events. The NC State Men dominated with the highest point total in ACC Championship history. All of the other teams struggled to break 1000 points—second-place Virginia Tech only scored 1008 points— while NC State scored 1615 points.
We once discussed how historically strong NC State could be in the 100 fly and they seemed to be living up to that. Entering NCAAs, Hayes was one of 5 swimmers from NC State under the crucial 45-second barrier alongside Luke Miller (44.50), Nyls Korstanje (44.70), Kacper Stokowski (44.68), and Arsenio Bustos (44.97).
Hayes opened his 2nd NCAA Championship by missing his PB with a 19.25 50 free that missed the final by .21 seconds in 26th. He bounced back the next day with PBs in both the prelims and finals of the 100 fly. In prelims, he was 44.40 for 5th. In the final, he dropped .05 seconds but fell a spot to 6th. He came back later in the session on NC State’s 400 medley relay where he split a 43.95 on fly as the Wolfpack finished 4th. Hayes also time trialed the 100 back during the meet and went 45.60.
A solid 1:40.56 saw Hayes to the “A” final of the 200 fly, a final he missed out on a year prior. As the 5th seed, few eyes were focused on Hayes heading into the final. “The only chance I had was to take it out fast,” said national champion Aiden Hayes. He certainly did that, getting out first at the 50 in 21.90, the only one in the field to take it out under 22 seconds. He came back to the field in the middle 100 though, as defending champion Brendan Burns took over the lead. Hayes showed he still had something left in the tank with a monster 26.07 to power ahead of Burns, touching in a lifetime best 1:38.79. He dropped 1.42 seconds from his previous best mark. Post-race, he credited Kacper Stokowski‘s leadership for preparing him to not worry about his competitors and to “stay in [his] own lane the whole race”. He added that the excitement of seeing his teammates go 1-2 in the mile also inspired his win.
National/International Swimming
2020(1) US Olympic Team Trials – Wave II (Omaha, Nebraska)
In the 100 fly, Hayes nearly made the semifinals with a new PB of 52.67 for 17th. That time moved him up to #11 all-time in the 17-18 NAG. He was a mere .04 seconds back from John Shebat. In the 50 free, Hayes was well off his form and ended up 57th in 23.22. Similarly, in the 200 fly, Hayes was 1:59.32 for 21st while his best of 1:58.02 would have qualified him for the semifinals
2022 Columbia Sectionals (Columbia, Missouri)
Hayes opened his meet with a best in the 50 fly. His 23.88 was only good for 3rd. The next morning, Hayes improved on his 100 fly best time with a 52.45. He blew that out of the water in the final with a 51.78, his first swim under 52 seconds. The following evening, he popped a 1:58.33 200 fly to just miss his PB. Hayes also set a 50 back PB leading off a medley relay in 25.19, a 100 back PB with a 55.87, and a 50 free season-best 23.00.
2023 U.S. International Team Trials (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Hayes opened his meet with a big-time drop in the 200 fly. Skipping over the 1:57s altogether, Hayes dropped 1.31 seconds off his PB with a 1:56.71. That time was just good enough to make the “A” final in 8th. He was unable to recreate the same form that night and remained 8th with a 1:58.29. In the 100 fly, Hayes was just off his best time with a 52.26 in prelims to miss the “A” final. He made the most of it and won the “B” final with a 51.97.
2023 U.S. Pro Championships (Irvine, California)
After posting a season-best 51.95 in the 100 fly prelims, Hayes exploded off the block to get out in front of the “A” final field early. He turned at 23.87 at the 50, already a third of a body ahead. Hayes never took his foot off the accelerator and came home in 27.3 to notch a big personal best of 51.24. That tied him with Seth Stubblefield as the 13th-ranked U.S. performer in history in the event. That time would have just missed the Worlds team by .05 seconds at trials. In the 50 free, HAyes dipped under the 23-second barrier for the first time since 2021 with a 22.84. Hayes was 4th in the 200 fly with a 1:58.92 after posting a 1:58.51 in prelims.
–This biography was originally developed by Lucas Caswell