Australian swimmer Meg Bailey has signed a commitment to join the Ohio State women’s swimming and diving team in the United States beginning in December of 2014, making her a valuable mid-season addition for this year.
Bailey swam on the Australian team at the 2014 Junior Pan Pac Championships in Hawaii. She didn’t have a great meet there, but she still finished as high as 7th in the 400 IM.
Bailey’s best times in long course meters:
- 100 fly – 1:00.64
- 200 fly – 2:13.25
- 200 IM – 2:16.57
- 400 IM – 4:48.11
Those times convert, in yards, to:
- 100 fly – 53.36
- 200 fly – 1:57.52
- 200 IM – 2:00.15
- 400 IM – 4:13.79
According to the Speedo Swim Time Converter.
If those conversions hold true, she should finish three events in high B/low A finals, plus whatever improvements she makes between now and February. That would be a significant lift of around 30 points for the Ohio State women, who were 4th at Big Tens last year with 374 points.
Ohio State doesn’t have any significant history of Australian swimmers in the program, but they have had several swimmers from other Commonwealth countries on their roster in the last few decades, including current freshman Zara Bailey.
As it currently stands, she is some considerable distance from making an AUS senior team, and 200FLY & 400IM look the only events where she’d be any shot of making the A final at Nationals. Whether NCAA is of any benefit to her swimming remains to be seen. As to whether it will be of any academic benefit, she may only know when she receives her HSC results and any resulting offers from the better Australian universities.
Normal Novocastrians head for the beach to recuperate for 4 months .
At Pan Pacs Meg would have been & is now in the heavy stages of her final school year coming off 50% internal exams & heading for highly competitive NSW public exams in November.
She looks to have already satisfied NCAA Academic requirements on top of these. Pretty amazing achievement & brave for heading straight off .