2019 World Juniors gold medalist Josh Matheny verbally committed to Indiana on Wednesday, becoming one of the first big male names in the high school class of 2021 to commit.
He is easily the best breaststroker in the class of 2021, boasting long course times of 1:00.17 and 2:09.40, the latter putting him 23rd in the world for 2019. His short course times are impressive, swimming a 52.52 and 1:55.03 as a sophomore last season. He is not in scoring range at NCAAs yet, but if his long course swims are any indication of his future, then he will be a huge boost to this already strong Indiana team.
Matheny is currently in his junior year at Upper St. Clair High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and swims for Team Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics. He won the 200 breaststroke at the World Junior Championships in a near-world junior record this past summer.
Matheny also won the silver in the 100 breast at World Juniors and swam the breaststroke leg on the gold medal winning mixed medley relay as well as the silver medal winning men’s medley relay.
By the time he gets to Bloomington in the fall of 2021, the Hoosiers will still have NCAA All-American breaststroker Zane Backes and distance swimmer Mikey Calvillo leading the charge in their senior seasons.
Josh Matheny holds the 15-16 National Age Group record in the 100 and 200 LCM breast with his times this summer. He currently leads the all-time 15-16 list in the 200 breast by two seconds. Matheny is also currently seventh in the nation in the 200 breast, putting him with an outside chance at making the 2020 Olympic team next year. Just 15 months ago, Matheny did not have any senior national cuts, and had his breakout meet at the 2018 Speedo Junior Nationals, dropping three seconds in the 100 and eight seconds in the 200 during that span. To read more on his meteoric rise, read our story from the World Juniors here.
Josh Matheny’s Best Times:
- 100 breast (SCY) 52.52
- 100 breast (LCM) 1:00.17
- 200 breast (SCY) 1:55.03
- 200 breast (LCM) 2:09.40
- 200 IM (SCY) 1:49.00
- 200 IM (LCM) 2:08.77
Josh Matheny will be joining an Indiana team that is coming off of two straight top three NCAA finishes as well as three straight Big Ten titles. The Hoosiers have also been known to produce great breaststrokers, most notably Olympic gold medalist and world record holder Lilly King, Olympic bronze medalist Cody Miller, and NCAA record holder Ian Finnerty.
Matheny also hails from a state that has produced many great breaststrokers including Olympic medalists Anita Nall, Kristy Kowal, Jeremy Linn and Brendan Hansen, as well as 2000 Olympian Kyle Salyards and two-time Swimming World high school swimmer of the year Reece Whitley.
Congratulations Josh!!!
Great choice, Josh! Congratulations!