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Nir Hay of Petah Tikva, Israel will head to Phoenix, Arizona next fall with his verbal commitment to Grand Canyon University. Hay has represented Israel at the international level, notably at the 2023 World Junior Swimming Championships, which was hosted in Israel.
At those Championships, Hay’s results were highlighted by a 21st place finish in the 50 free (23.37) and 25th place finish in the 100 fly (55.89). He was also on Israel’s prelim relays, where he split 50.87 in the 400 free relay and 55.91 in the 400 medley.
He has since chipped away at those times, and this July, he set two main personal bests at Israel Nationals: 22.91 in the 50 free and 54.93 in the 100 fly. He also hit a season best of 51.20 in the 100 free, just off his best time of 50.84 which he swam at last year’s Israeli Trials.
Hay also had a standout performance at the Israel Short Course Championships in December of 2024, swimming bests in the 50 free (22.55), 100 free (49.92), 50 fly (24.73), and 100 fly (53.82).
Best times LCM (and SCY conversions):
- 50 free: 22.91 (19.91)
- 100 free: 50.84 (44.36)
- 50 fly: 24.92 (21.81)
- 100 fly: 54.93 (48.22)
Grand Canyon is a D1 Mid-Major University; last year, they competed in the Western Athletic Conference and were 4th in a field of 9 teams. This year, the men will join the Big West and compete with, among others, teams such as UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and Hawaii.
Currently, Hay is the Lopes’ only public commitment for their class of 2030. Depending on how he adjusts to yards swimming, he can have an immediate impact upon arrival: at the 2025 Big West Championships, his converted times would have qualified for the championship final in the 50 free and the consolation final in the 100 free and 100 fly. Further, he will be crucial for GCU’s relays as his projected conversions would have ranked 4th in the 50 free, 7th in the 100 free, and 6th in the 100 fly on their roster last season. However, several Grand Canyon’s top sprinters—those ranked ahead of him—such as Mario Perez and Eli Cohen, will have graduated by the time Hay arrives.
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