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Top swimmers Hayburn, Florio showed winning touch
The Capital Gazette Communications boys Swimmer of the Year comes from a swimming family and has made his mark for four years now, while the girls Swimmer of the Year is just a sophomore who burst onto the scene swimming for Glen Burnie High School.
Reigning boys Swimmer of the Year Jimmy Hayburn of St. Mary’s kept his unbeaten streak in individual events alive by finishing his scholastic career 70-0. He was taught by Saints’ coach Allyson Reiter to “Win with class and lose with class.” Hayburn never had to worry about the latter for four years, which again earned him the top swimmer award for boys in Anne Arundel County.
Rachel Florio may not achieve the same record as Hayburn, as she was home-schooled her freshman year before attending Glen Burnie to start her sophomore year. She too went unbeaten for the 2017-2018 season, mainly swimming the 200-yard individual medley and the 500 freestyle, the two hardest events in a swim meet. Florio becomes the first Gopher to capture the girls Swimmer of the Year award and figures to only get better over her final two high school years.
“This is a tremendous feeling to earn this achievement again,” Hayburn said. “I just went out there and used my talents to the best of my abilities and swam as hard as I could. I just want to thank God, my parents and family, my coaches and my teammates for putting me in a position to succeed.”
Hayburn won the 50-yard freestyle in 21.33 seconds, the 100 backstroke in 52.50 and was on the winning 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay teams for the Saints in the MIAAB Conference championship meet, earning St. Mary’s a fourth consecutive conference championship. He posted a faster 50 time of 20.98 at the Maryland State championships, a top-100 time nationally and just 0.01 seconds off the mark of 20.97 to earn him All-American status. He will be competing in the upcoming Speedo Sectional Championships, which is a long-course meet which means the distance will be in meters, not yards.
Hayburn also won the National Catholic Championship title in the 50 freestyle and has posted blistering times of 46.95 in the 100 freestyle, 50.66 in the 100 butterfly and 52.19 in the 100 backstroke.
“A true competitor, Jimmy’s skills and performances are a small part of his leadership,” Reiter said. “His commitment to the team, its goals and to the school, along with his level of sportsmanship, is what makes him invaluable.”
Hayburn will follow his sister, Annie, to Loyola Maryland University and will be keeping a close eye on his younger siblings Patrick, currently a freshman at St. Mary’s, and Joe, a seventh grader who broke Michael Phelps’ 14-and-under record in the 200 backstroke during his swimming campaign.
“My family is a huge part of my life. My mother was a swimming coach at the University of Maryland and my sister has already made her mark in the pool and the classroom both at St. Mary’s and now at Loyola,” Hayburn said. “ I can’t wait to see what my younger brothers will be able to do. I will try to guide them as best as I can and try to pass to them the work ethic that I learned from my sister.”
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