NEW COMMIT: After originally sending his verbal to Villanova, Olympic Trials qualifier Joshua Brown of Winter Park, Fla. has announced his commitment to the University of Notre Dame beginning in the fall of 2021.
He will join Hugo Thomas, Bryce Ortanes, Parker Macy, Andrew Guziec, Nick Tommasone, Chris Guiliano, Max Myers and Owen Grimaldi with the Fighting Irish as a member of the class of 2025.
He told Swimming World:
“I am excited to announce that I will be joining the Fighting Irish swim team next season. I would like to thank the coaches that have given me the opportunity to swim at the next level. I am thankful to coaches Litzinger and Bell for believing in me, and honored they asked me to join their distance program at South Bend. I look forward to growing both academically and in the pool at the University of Notre Dame. Thank you Coach Todd for pushing me to achieve my goals, to Coach Rick for his support, and to my parents for having my back. Go Irish!”
A talented freestyler, Brown does his club swimming with Highlander Aquatics. He most recently earned four best times at the Florida Senior Championships last month after winning the 1500m free at Southern Zone Sectionals in February. In 2020, he finished 12th in both the 400m IM and 400m free at the Florida OT Qualifier.
In Summer 2019, he grabbed silver in the 400m free and bronze medals in the 200m back, 200m IM, and 400m IM at Florida LCM Seniors.
Photo Courtesy: Joshua Brown
His best times include:
- 100 free – 47.47
- 200 free – 1:40.50
- 500 free – 4:25.76
- 1000 free – 9:00.70
- 1650 free – 15:10.76
Brown has made massive improvements in a short period of time. Since August 2020, he has dropped four seconds in the 200 free, 11 in the 500 free, 25 in the 1000, and 34 in the mile.
A current senior at Lake Highland Prep School, Brown is a six-time individual Florida 1A State Championship finalist. He was the runner-up in the 500 free and took seventh in the 200 free in 2020 while taking sixth and 13th, respectively, in those events as a junior.
He won both of those events in 2019 and 2020 at the FHSAA 1A Region meet as well.
Under head coach Michael Litzinger, the Fighting Irish finished seventh at the 2021 ACC Championships. He will be joining a program that produced Jack Hoagland, a three-time ACC champion and fifth-place finisher in the mile at NCAAs.
Brown and Hoagland will overlap for two seasons in South Bend.
If you have a commitment to share, please send a photo and quote via email to hs@swimmingworld.com.