USC sophomore soars to victory at Junior Nationals
To say Josh Matheny kicked the competition at the USA Swimming Speedo Junior Nationals held in Irvine, Calif., would be an understatement.
Not only did the rising Upper St. Clair sophomore capture the gold for the 100-meter breaststroke, he swam the third-fastest time in the race for ages 15-16, winning in 1:01.06. Matheny also secured silver in the 200-meter distance,
“My kick had a tremendous impact,” Matheny said. “It’s what drives my breaststroke.”
Matheny’s kick, however, was in need of a little work so during the summer months he did extra work with the kickboard. “Long and hard,” he said. He also did some heavy lifting in the weight room, squatting 230 pounds, to gain “power” in his legs.
“I did more reps and less weight. I didn’t want to get big. I want to just develop lean, strong muscles,” he said.
By watching videos and analyzing his stroke, he also discerned what needed attention.
“The pure power of the kick wasn’t there,” explained Matheny. “My kick was slipping a bit. By the end of my races, I would die.”
At Junior Nationals, however, Matheny did not die. He actually accelerated. As he neared the finish line in the 100 meters, he put considerable distance between himself and the second-place finisher and won by more than a second.
Only Michael Andrew (1:00.68) and Reece Whitley (1:00.95) have posted faster times than Matheny’s 1:01.06 in the history of the race. Both won medals at the 2015 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in Singapore. Whitley is a University of California-Berkeley commit. Andrew became the youngest American to turn pro when he did so at age 14 in 2013.
“It’s pretty crazy since I’m only 15,” Matheny said of having recorded the third-fastest time in the 100 breast among ages 15-16, “but I’ll be older next year so I’ll see if I could go up another two spots. To go faster than that would be insane.”
Insane was the fact that Matheny was seeded ninth going into the 100-meter race. In his preliminary heat, however, he coasted to victory.
“That gave me a lot of confidence,” he said. “I was fired up for the finals that night and that momentum carried me through the entire race.”
Matheny was equally pumped up for the 200 meters. Though he trailed for most of the race, he made up over a second in time over the last 50 meters and almost caught his rival. Matheny was touched out at the wall by a mere one-tenth of a second.
“I was extremely excited,” Matheny said about his performance in the race. “My time was a personal record by a lot. I trained for this meet all year. I was tapered for it. I was ready.”
Matheny trains with the Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics Club. The club features some of the best swimmers in the region. During the summer months, Matheny works as a lifeguard at the Mt. Lebanon Outdoor Swim Center and he trains at the Scott Township pool.
“I don’t usually do breaststroke in practice. I usually train all four strokes because I enjoy all four strokes,” he said.
While Matheny participated in his third Junior Nationals, he did meet time standards to qualify for the Senior Nationals, where many of the future Olympians and World team members compete.
“The decision was not to go (to Senior Nationals) because it was more appropriate for me to compete at Juniors,” Matheny said. “There will be plenty of time to race against the older guys. There are plenty of juniors out there for me to compete against for years to come.”
Juniors such as Jay Foster from Ohio and A.J. Pouch from Nevada are indeed good competition for Matheny, who gained All-America status in his first year of high school swimming.
Matheny is using his showing at Junior Nationals as a launching pad for the upcoming swim season.
Last winter, Matheny etched his name in the annals of PIAA history when he claimed gold during the state championships held March 14-17 at Bucknell University.
He breezed to victory in the 100-yard breaststroke in 54.55. That’s .88 off the record pace set by Olympic gold medalist Brendan Hansen back in 2000.
Plus, Matheny became the first freshman since 2008 to win an individual state title at the Class AAA level. That was when another USC product, Kyle Dudzinski, captured gold in the 100-yard backstroke.
Matheny, who placed eighth in the individual medley at states, was the WPIAL champion in the breaststroke, finishing a scant .12 off the district record, and the bronze medalist in the IM. He helped Upper St. Clair grab the runner-up trophy in the team competition.
“My goals in general are to win states again and to be on the Junior National team,” Matheny said. “I’m not sure yet where the USA team will compete but it will be international. Somewhere in Europe would be pretty neat.”
While he hasn’t visited any colleges yet, Matheny embraces as “cool” swimming at a higher level. He hopes to contribute to a major NCAA Division I program and eventually participate in the Olympics.
“Right now I’m focused on just racing but definitely the Olympics are in the back of my mind all of the time. I think I’m going down the right path. I think I am on a pretty good path to reaching my ultimate goal. The dream is to be an Olympian.”
NOTE: Jack Fitzpatrick also attended Junior Nationals. The Upper St. Clair senior and PEAQ swim team member competed in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke races, the 400 freestyle and the 200 IM.