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The hyper-versatile Hailey Preuss has verbally committed to the admission process* at the University of Pennsylvania for 2026-27. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:
I am beyond excited and grateful to announce my commitment to the admissions process at the University of Pennsylvania! Huge thank you to coaches Mike, Maddie, and Andrew for this incredible opportunity. Thank you to coaches Joey, Alec, and Laura from Alto Swim Club and my high school coach, Coach Bruce, for your incredible support every step of the way. I would also like to thank my parents, sister, grandparents, and friends and family for supporting through this process and my swimming journey. GO QUAKERS!!!!
Preuss is currently a senior at Menlo Atherton High School in California and has been a member of her school’s varsity swimming and diving team since her freshman year. In addition to competing for the Bears, Preuss swims year-round with Alto Swim Club, where she is strong across breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle, and IM.
Preuss has been on a hot streak, setting new personal bests in six of her eight best events over the past year. Her most significant improvements came in the 100 free (52.79 to 51.85), 200 fly (2:02.21 to 2:01.18), and 200 free (1:51.95 to 1:50.43), while she also dropped over a second in the 500 free (4:56.21 to 4:54.92), shaved several tenths in the 200 breast (2:17.16 to 2:16.57) and 200 IM (2:04.64 to 2:03.88), and clipped her 400 IM best (4:20.00 to 4:19.83). Her 100 breast lifetime best (1:02.97) dates back to April 2024, while her 100 fly best time (56.38) was set in March 2023.
At 2025 Winter Junior Championships – West, Preuss posted personal bests in both the 400 IM and 200 breast, finishing 16th and 25th. She also placed 51st in the 500 free (4:57.73 – SB), 58th in the 200 fly (2:06.87), and 107th in the 200 IM (2:06.84). It marked her second appearance at the meet, improving on her 2024 showing where she placed 32nd in the 400 IM as her top finish
Just a week after Winter Juniors, Preuss competed at a local club meet, the ALTO Candy Cane Classic, where she swam just the 100 free, clocking her current best time to win the event.
On the high school scene, Preuss has been a consistent performer at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) High School State Championships. As a junior last May, she made a pair of ‘B’ finals, placing 10th in the 200 free (1:50.43) and 13th in the 500 free (4:54.92) with her current career bests. It marked her best performance at the meet to date, as she touched 16th in the 100 breast and 17th in the 500 free as a sophomore, and 27th in the 500 free as a freshman.
Top SCY Times:
- 100 Breaststroke: 1:02.97
- 200 Breaststroke: 2:16.57
- 100 Butterfly: 56.38
- 200 Butterfly: 2:01.18
- 100 Freestyle: 51.85
- 200 Freestyle: 1:50.43
- 500 Freestyle: 4:54.92
- 200 IM: 2:03.88
- 400 IM: 4:19.83
Penn, a Division I swimming program competing in the Ivy League, is led by head coach Mike Schnur, who is entering his 18th year at the helm. The women finished fifth out of seven teams at 2025 conference championships.
Based on the results from the 2025 Ivy League Championships, Preuss would have landed in the ‘B’ final of the 100/200 breast, 200 fly, 400 IM, and 500 free, and ‘C’ final of the 200 free, giving her ample opportunities to score some points right from the start.
On the team itself, she would currently rank third in the 100 breast and 200 breast, fourth in the 200 fly and 400 IM, fifth in the 200 IM, seventh in the 100 fly and 500 free, ninth in the 200 free, and 10th in the 100 free. It remains to be seen exactly which events she will choose to focus on, but she is slated to make an immediate impact at conference and in dual meets, and potentially contribute to the team’s relays down the line.
Preuss joins a breaststroke-heavy recruiting class that includes Morgan Knox (1:02.2/2:20.4), Katelynn Zhou (1:02.8/2:16.4), Sophia Gao (1:03.8/2:15.8), as well as sprinter Allison Liu (23.1/51.2 free, 54.8 fly), who should make for strong training partners over their four years together.
*Note: A verbal commitment between an Ivy League coach and a prospective student-athlete is not an offer of admission, as only the Admission Office has that authority. The coach can only commit his or her support in the admission process. Ivy League Admission Offices do not issue “Likely Letters” before October 1 of the prospective student-athlete’s senior year of high school. The Likely Letter, while issued after an initial read of the student’s application, is not an offer of admission to the university.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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