Hayley McGregory
Hayley McGregory is an American former competitive swimmer. A two-time world record holder, she achieved national and international prominence across age-group, collegiate, and professional levels. She is a former U.S. Open and American record holder in the 50-meter and 100-meter backstroke events.
Career
Early Career and Age-Group Achievements
McGregory was born in London, England, and raised in Houston, Texas. She attended Bowie High School, where she graduated in 2004. In 2001, she was named the Texas High School Female Athlete of the Year after winning state titles in the 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke. She shared this statewide recognition with future NFL quarterback Vince Young, who was named the Male Athlete of the Year. Following high school, she studied at the University of Texas at Austin before transferring to the University of Southern California.Career
Age-group and collegiate career
McGregory's competitive career began in the late 1990s at the Houston Swim Club. In 1997, at age 10, she was ranked ninth in the United States for the 50-yard backstroke with a time of 31.25. In 2000, at age 14, she became one of the youngest qualifiers for the 2000 United States Olympic Trials in Indianapolis.While training with Longhorn Aquatics, McGregory established multiple National Age Group records. These included the 15–16 girls' 400-meter medley relay and the 17–18 girls' 400-yard medley relay. At the collegiate level, she was a multi-time All-American for both the Texas Longhorns and the USC Trojans. In 2005, she was the Big 12 Conference champion in the 100-yard backstroke.
Professional career and world records
McGregory won both the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke titles at the 2004 Summer Nationals. She was also the 100-meter backstroke champion at the 2007 ConocoPhillips National Championships.In 2008, McGregory established two world records in backstroke:50-meter backstroke: On March 7, 2008, she set a world record of 28.00 seconds at the All-American Long Course Championships in Austin, Texas. She later lowered the American record in the event to 27.80 on June 7, 2008.100-meter backstroke: During the preliminaries of the 2008 United States Olympic Trials on June 30, she set a world record of 59.15 seconds in Heat 15. Her record was broken in the following heat by Natalie Coughlin, who clocked 59.03 seconds.
McGregory finished third in both the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke at the 2004 and 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, narrowly missing qualification for the Olympic Games. Later in 2008, she set a U.S. Open record of 59.11 seconds in the 100-meter backstroke, a mark that stood until 2013. She represented the United States at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome, reaching the finals of the 100-meter backstroke.