Upper St. Clair’s Matheny chasing Olympic dreams
Every now and then, a once-in-a-generation athlete comes along and rewrites the WPIAL record books while leaving a lasting legacy in their sport — Jeannette’s Terrelle Pryor in football and basketball, Blackhawk’s Brendan McKay in baseball, Franklin Regional’s Spencer Lee in wrestling, and so on.
In the moment, it’s hard to tell whether an athlete with seemingly limitless potential will live up to the hype. There’s so many factors involved and so much that can go wrong. That being said, it’s not much of a stretch to say that one day, Upper St. Clair senior Josh Matheny may be remembered in the same light as those other legendary figures.
Matheny is already the first WPIAL swimmer to become a three-time PIAA champion in the 100-yard breaststroke, and he’ll be the overwhelming favorite to make it four in a row at the PIAA championships in March. His time of 52.52 seconds in the 2019 state finals as a sophomore remains a national high school record.
Still, it’s his accomplishments on the national and international stage that truly set him apart from other top athletes around the area.
At just 16 years old, Matheny won two gold medals and two silver medals at the 2019 FINA World Junior Championships in Hungary. The Indiana recruit then qualified for the 2020 U.S.
Olympic Trials, which have since been postponed to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now armed with an extra year of training and preparation, he believes last year’s cancellation may have been a blessing in disguise.
“It originally kind of threw me for a loop,” Matheny said. “I was pretty sad about it, I guess. But looking back on it now, I’m definitely going to be in a better position this year. So in the long run it’s kind of a positive, because I have another year to get ready for it.
“It’s definitely another year to just get bigger, faster, stronger and become an allaround better and more mature athlete.”
Some may wonder why a world-class swimmer such as Matheny would continue to compete at the high school level while preparing to swim for a spot in the Olympics — especially considering Matheny’s go-to event, the 200-meter breaststroke, isn’t even offered in high school.
Matheny realizes that you’re only young once, though, and he’s not about to sacrifice his last chance to compete for a high school championship alongside his best friends just to get in some extra training. Besides, there aren’t many other places he can go to simulate the intense competition provided by racing the best swimmers in the WPIAL and state.
“Definitely the big focus is the [Olympic] Trials, but I’m still very excited to swim at states my senior year,” Matheny said. “Kind of that big ‘last hoorah’ as a senior for your last year of high school. I’m really looking forward to that, and I’m really looking forward to going with my team. My team is really good this year.”
Of course, like all winter sports athletes in the WPIAL, Matheny and his teammates are in the midst of a three-week shutdown imposed by Gov. Wolf in response to COVID-19 concerns. If all goes according to plan, facilities will reopen on Jan. 4 and teams will then be able to resume practicing and competing.
For now, with no access to any pools in the area, Matheny will have to think outside the box in order to stay in shape.
“It’s definitely a challenge that many people didn’t see coming,” Matheny said. “I would imagine it’s going to be a lot of just hitting the gym and lifting weights, definitely throw some cardio in and just try to stay in as best shape as I possibly can.”
Whenever the season resumes, Matheny will slot in as one of the top contenders for a WPIAL and PIAA title in the 200 individual medley as well as the clear favorite in the 100 breaststroke. He also plans on taking part in the 400 freestyle relay and the 200 medley relay for the Panthers, who are hoping to dethrone eight-time defending champion North Allegheny for the WPIAL team title.
After finishing his high school career, Matheny will turn his focus to the Olympic Trials taking place in Omaha, Neb., from June 1320, before moving on to Indiana to begin his college career in the fall. Matheny said his main goal is to place among the top eight in the preliminary heats in order to qualify for the A-final, which will be televised on NBC Sports Network.
“I still definitely want to make the A-final,” Matheny said. “The goal is just to do as well as possible. Still being one of the younger people there, it’s definitely a lot of pressure just racing, so I just want to do as well as I can there.”