NC State Junior Aiden Hayes Opting For 100 Fly/100 Back Double Over 50 Free At 2024 NCAAs

2024 MEN’S NCAA SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• March 27-30, 2024
• IUPUI Natatorium, Indianapolis, Indiana
• Short Course Yards (25 yards)
• Pre-Selection Psych Sheets

When the pre-selection psych sheets were released yesterday, it showed that NC State junior Aiden Hayes was entered to tackle the 100 fly/100 back double.

It’s no surprise that Hayes is swimming both butterfly events, as this is something that he’s done for the past two years at the NCAA Championship meet.

At the 2023 NCAA Championships, Hayes qualified for the championship final in both butterfly races. He hit the wall 6th in the 100 fly (44.35) before winning the 200 fly (1:38.79) national title with an electric back half. He was also 26th in the 50 free, where he checked-in at 19.25. The year prior, Hayes posted a 25th place finish in the 50 free (19.29) before adding 7th and 9th place appearances in the 100 (44.75) and 200 (1:41.46, *1:40.66 in prelims) fly events.

While backstroke has always been one of his better disciplines, he’s never contested it at a collegiate championship meet. This year though, he’s raced a significant amount of backstroke for the Wolfpack. He’s appeared in the 100 back at several dual meets throughout the season, and time-trialed a personal best of 45.01 at the recent ACC Championships.

Hayes has also taken up the 50 back this season, featuring on that leg of the medley relay quite often. Kacper Stokowski has been the Pack’s go-to backstroker for the past few years, but Hayes’ breakthrough in the 50 back has provided the team many options. Come NCAAs, we could see Stokowski on back or fly, Hayes on back or fly, or Luke Miller on butterfly and one of Stokowski and Hayes on backstroke.

In early January, Hayes ripped a 20.36 50 back at an NC State suited practice, which at the time ranked him the equal 7th performer of all-time (unofficially). He followed that performance up with a lead-off of 20.57 at a dual meet versus UNC Wilmington, before clocking 20.44 leading-off NC State’s American record-breaking relay at the ACC Championships.

If Hayes was to enter the 50 free, as he’s done the previous two years, we would’ve ranked 26th. Opting for the double allows him to enter his three best events for this season, and he’ll have the opportunity to join likes of Brendan Burns, Alvin Jiang, Janet Hu, Natalie Coughlin, Tom Shields, and Coleman Stewart and several others who have seen great success with the double.

Hayes’ Entries For 2024 NCAAs:

Day 3

• 100 Fly (8th seed, 44.41)
• 100 Back (17th seed, 45.01)

Day 4

• 200 Fly (16th seed, 1:41.31)