Dual-Sport Athlete Havana Layton Commits to Vermont for Swimming and Pole Vaulting

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Havana Layton from Naples, Florida, has committed to the University of Vermont in two sports: swimming and diving and track and field.

“I chose UVM because the team and coaches were super supportive, campus was absolutely gorgeous, and I was able to compete on the track team as well!”

Layton is a senior at Naples High School where she swims and is a pole vaulter. She trains year-round with the club teams T2 Aquatics and SWFL Vaulters. In swimming, she specializes in sprint free and was runner-up in the 100 free at the FHSAA Class 3A State Swimming and Diving Championships in November. She clocked the top time (51.59) in prelims before finishing second with 51.22 in finals. She also came in sixth in the 50 free and scored a PB of 23.59 in prelims. In 2021, she was also second in the 100 free (51.47) and fifth in the 50 (24.03).

In club swimming, Layton kicked off 2022 long course season in February at Orlando Sectionals. She competed in the 50/100/200/400 free and finaled in the 50 with a PB of 28.14. Five months later at Cary Futures, she updated her lifetime bests in the 50 free (27.72) and 100 free (1:00.67) and swam within a second of her PB (2:14.60) in the 200 free.

Best SCY times:

  • 50 free – 23.59
  • 100 free – 51.47
  • 200 free – 1:55.01

Layton will be an immediate conference-title contender in the NCAA Division I America East Conference. Last year, Vermont’s Kira Parker (now graduated) won the conference title in 23.30; Layton’s personal best would have placed her 3rd. Her 100 free would have placed her 2nd (just ahead of Parker).

In total, Vermont finished 3rd last year at that championship with 677 points – a new program best. That was 137.5 points behind New Hampshire, the conference championships. Layton’s times mean she’ll have at least a 40-point impact for the Catamounts immediately upon arrival, which could help close that gap quickly.

Layton’s personal best in pole vault is 9’4.25″. She placed 15th at last year’s Florida 3A High School State Championships in that event. That’s about 4 inches short of what it took to score at last year’s America East Championships, though it is about three feet better than what she jumped the year prior.

“I am extremely excited to announce that I will be furthering my academic, swimming, and track & field careers at the University of Vermont!! Competing at the Division 1 level in both of the sports that I love is truly a dream come true. I am extremely grateful for my friends, family, @t2aquatics, @swflvaulters, and all of my teachers and coaches for helping me become the student athlete I am today. And a huge thank you to Coach Cournoyer and Coach Belfield for giving me this unique and incredible opportunity. GO CATS!!😸💚💛”

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Florida Fan
1 year ago

Amazing accomplishments in both sports! Can’t wait to see what she can do at the college level!

Bignowhere
1 year ago

This is a pretty unusual combo. I wonder how good she is in pole vault? Anyway more power to her, hope she does well.

Admin
Reply to  Bignowhere
1 year ago

9’4.25″ PB. She seems to be pretty new to vaulting and her improvement curve is huge. That’s a good height. I’d say it’s similar to about a 56-second 100 fly, you’re pretty good, definitely legit, but not competing for state titles in most places. In the context of “pole vaulting is a less-popular discipline than the 100 fly.”

She’s a slightly better swimmer than pole vaulter at this point, and will have a much bigger impact on the swim team than the track team.

Surprising overlap in abilities between the two, even if the actual overlap doesn’t happen often. Good core strength is crucial to both, and the builds are similar between the two sports.

olde coach
1 year ago

Great to see a 2 sport athlete doing well in both sports……….UVM is a great landing spot!

About Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant is the mother of four daughters, all of whom swam in college. With an undergraduate degree from Princeton (where she was an all-Ivy tennis player) and an MBA from INSEAD, she worked for many years in the financial industry, both in France and the U.S. Anne is currently …

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