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Hyper-Versatile Winter Juniors Finalist Hailey Preuss Commits to Penn for 2026–2027
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The exceptionally versatile Hailey Preuss has verbally committed to pursue the admission process at the University of Pennsylvania for the 2026–27 academic year. She shared the news publicly on SwimCloud, stating:
"I am beyond excited and grateful to announce my commitment to the admissions process at the University of Pennsylvania! A huge thank you to coaches Mike, Maddie, and Andrew for this incredible opportunity. I also want to thank coaches Joey, Alec, and Laura from Alto Swim Club and my high school coach, Bruce, for your unwavering support every step of the way. My deepest thanks to my family and friends for backing me through this journey. GO QUAKERS!!!"
Preuss, a senior at Menlo-Atherton High School in California, has represented her school on the varsity swimming and diving team since freshman year. Beyond her high school team, she competes year-round with Alto Swim Club, showcasing strength across breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle, and the individual medley.
Over the past year, Preuss has been on a strong improvement trajectory, achieving personal bests in six of her eight strongest events. Notable gains occurred in the 100 free (51.85 from 52.79), the 200 fly (2:01.18 from 2:02.21), and the 200 free (1:50.43 from 1:51.95). She also shaved more than a second off the 500 free (4:54.92 from 4:56.21), trimmed several tenths in the 200 breast (2:16.57 from 2:17.16) and the 200 IM (2:03.88 from 2:04.64), and improved her 400 IM best (4:19.83 from 4:20.00). Her lifetime bests in the 100 breast (1:02.97) and the 100 fly (56.38) date back to April 2024 and March 2023, respectively.
At the 2025 Winter Junior Championships – West, Preuss achieved personal bests in both the 400 IM and the 200 breast, finishing 16th and 25th, respectively. She also placed 51st in the 500 free (4:57.73 – season best), 58th in the 200 fly (2:06.87), and 107th in the 200 IM (2:06.84). This event marked her second appearance, improving on her 2024 showing when she placed 32nd in the 400 IM as her best finish.
A week following Winter Juniors, Preuss competed at a local club meet, the ALTO Candy Cane Classic, where she swam the 100 free and clocked her current best time to win the event.
In high school competition, Preuss has been a steady performer at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Championships. As a junior last May, she reached two B finals, finishing 10th in the 200 free (1:50.43) and 13th in the 500 free (4:54.92), both representing her personal bests to date at the meet. Earlier in her career, she placed 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 program in the Ivy League, is led by head coach Mike Schnur, who is entering his 18th season at the helm. The Quakers finished fifth out of seven teams at the 2025 Ivy League Championships. Based on those results, Preuss would have reached the B final in the 100 and 200 breast, the 200 fly, the 400 IM, and the 500 free, with the potential to contribute to scoring early in her collegiate career.
Within Penn’s roster, Preuss would likely rank among the top breaststrokers and contribute across other events. She would potentially make an immediate impact in conference meets and duals and could become a valuable addition to the team’s relays.
Preuss joins a breaststroke-focused 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), and sprinter Allison Liu (23.1/51.2 free, 54.8 fly), all of whom would provide strong training partners over four years.
Note: A verbal commitment between an Ivy League coach and a prospective student-athlete does not constitute an admission offer. Admission is granted only by the University’s Admissions Office, and Likely Letters are issued after the initial application review, not before October 1 of the student’s senior year. If you have a commitment to report, please email a landscape photo and a quote to SwimSwam.
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