Hayden Curley

Photo by: Karl L. Moore

Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Orlando, Fla.
High School:
Lake Highland

Junior: Curley continued to lead the Cardinal distance group throughout his third year in The Ville. At the NCAA Championships, he finished 28th in the mile (15:06.77) and 31st in the 500 freestyle (4:18.08). At the ACC Championships, he placed sixth in the mile (15:01.30), 11th in the 500 freestyle (4:19.18), and 13th in the 400 individual medley (3:51.32). Curley posted six top-5 finishes throughout the shortened dual meet season, highlighted by a win in the 200 freestyle against Cincinnati. He also finished second in the 1000 freestyle and third in the 500 freestyle versus Kentucky and fourth and fifth, respectively, in those events against Notre Dame. He took ninth in the 800m freestyle at the Toyota U.S. Open and won the mile at the Louisville Invitational.

Sophomore: After a strong rookie season, Curley continued to solidify his spot in the Cardinals’ distance group and qualified for the NCAA Championships in the mile before the meet was cancelled. At the ACC Championships, he finished eighth in the 1650 freestyle (15:04.55) and 14th in the 500 freestyle (4:18.95). Curley won the 500 freestyle and the mile at the Purdue Invitational before going on to place 10th in the 400-meter freestyle (3:53.49), 12th in the 1500-meter freestyle (15:27.67), and 13th in the 800-meter freestyle (8:04.20) at the Toyota U.S. Open. He recorded nine top-5 finishes throughout dual meet competition, highlighted by a win in the 500 freestyle (4:33.97) against Xavier. For his performances in both the pool and in the classroom, Curley was awarded ACC Honor Roll and CSCAA Scholar All-America honors. He was also named to the CSCAA All-American team in the mile.

Freshman: Curley proved to be an integral member of the Cards’ distance squad throughout his freshman campaign, qualifying for the ACC Championships and scoring 24 points for Louisville. His top finish at ACCs came in the 1650 free, where he finished 10th overall with a time of 15:03.54. He also qualified for the finals of the 500 free, placing 18th with a time of 4:19.82. At the Indiana Invitational, he scored valuable points for Louisville, highlighted by a pair of 11th place finishes in the 1650 free and 500 free. Throughout the dual meet season, he scored points for the Cards in the wins over Northwestern, Virginia and Xavier, highlighted by a third place finish in the 200 fly against Xavier. Curley raced the 800m free (8:13.80) and 1500m free (15:47.90) at Phillips 66 Nationals and recorded a best time in the 400m free (3:56.61).

Prep: Curley hails from Orlando, Fla., where he swam high school for Lake Highland Prep and competed for Highlander Aquatic Club under the direction of his father Michael Curley. He is a three-time FHSAA 1A state champion, including two gold medals at the 2017 FHSAA 1A states in the 200 free and 500 free. At the 2017 Winter Junior Nationals, Curley placed fifth in the 1650 free and also turned in a fifth place finish in the 400-meter free at the 2017 Summer Junior Nationals. Additionally, he was named to the NCSA Junior National Team. He holds best times of 1:37.81 in the 200 free, 4:21.08 in the 500 free and 15:11.56 in the 1650 free.

Personal: Son of Michael and Jan Curley. Born on July 7, 1999.