The Sports Informant

The credentials speak for themselves: 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier in the 100 fly and 200 fly; 2008 Junior National finalist in the 200 fly; 2008 Junior National Team qualifier, six-time Junior National qualifier; four-time high school All-American; among CollegeSwimming.com’s Top 200 Prospects of 2009… and that’s just the resume Sara Haley built to earn her full scholarship to LSU prior to last fall.

Sara Haley is a high school All-American again. (Photo courtesy Colleen Rich)

Since then, the Sierra Marlin swimmer and Oak Ridge High School senior has added another notch to her impressive belt, recently named a 2009 high school All-American with a 56.60 swim in the 100-yard butterfly on May 2, a time good enough for an automatic qualifying bid.

“I was a bit tired the day I qualified for All-American due to my 8,000-yard practice the day before,” Haley told me, excited to be nationally recognized again. “I was happy to obtain the title again. If I set a goal, I find every way around whatever is stopping me from getting my goal and I achieve it.”

The National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association 2008-2009 All-American Swimming Time Standards are set times a competitor must meet in a swim season to qualify for All-American status. There are “Consideration” times, which will get a swimmer considered for the final spots on the list and there are “Automatic” times, which automatically earn a swimmer’s performance a place on the list. The Top 130 athletes in the United States per event are considered All-American selections.

Haley swam right past her competition and both the consideration time of 57.50 and the automatic time of 56.75 in the girls 100 fly with her recent swim for Oak Ridge last weekend. The performance kept her undefeated in dual meets for the season.

“I feel really good about my high school season,” Haley said. “Now that USA

Oak Ridge High's Sara Haley prepares for a race. (Photo courtesy Colleen Rich)

Swimming is in its long course season, I get the chance to finish up some business short course when I swim a high school meet.”

Haley and her Trojan teammates are gearing up for the Sac-Joaquin Section meet in Lodi this weekend. It’ll be the last high school meet for Haley.

“Schools bring their best swimmers,” she said of the section meet. “I am hoping to finish out my high school year by winning the 100 fly and breaking the record of 54.8, which will be a job, but I feel I have a great shot.”

When she’s not competing for Oak Ridge, she’s a member of the Sierra Marlins club team. The squad is a USA Swim team that competes nationally, but trains in Folsom. Haley said it is her experience with the team on top of her high school swims that has made her so successful.

“I have been swimming with the national group for almost two years,” Haley said. “I am trained as an elite athlete six days a week for eight practices. I train at a very intense level with my team, which involves swimming, weights, circuits, running, core training and more.”

Haley earned the right to compete at the 2008 US Olympic Trials. You can see her attempt below, against athletes in college and beyond, as a high school junior in Lane 6.

While she didn’t earn a spot on the Olympic team, she proved she’s one of the better high school swimmers around, and gave herself the confidence she needs for the next challenge.

“After sectionals, I will be out of school and graduated,” Haley said. “I will be able to focus on USA swimming and train for the 2009 US World Championship Trials in Indiana. I plan to place in the Top 8 for the 200 butterfly there.”

Oh, and let’s not forget about LSU.

“I’m very excited about LSU,” she said. “I picked LSU over five other schools I went on recruiting trips to. It was the perfect atmosphere. I believe that LSU will guide me to all of my goals for the next four years: an NCAA Top 2 and Top 8 at the 20012 Olympic Trials.”