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Josh Bey, the top high school sophomore breaststroker in the country, has verbally committed to continue his career at Indiana University in the fall of 2025.
Bey is the No. 9 recruit in SwimSwam’s way-too-early rankings for the class of 2025 with the best 100 breast (53.81) and 200 breast (1:57.31) times in his class. Ray Looze‘s Hoosiers are known for developing elite breaststroke talent such as Lilly King, Josh Matheny, Ian Finnerty, and Cody Miller, to name a few.
Best Times:
- 100 breast: 53.81 (best in class)
- 200 breast: 1:57.31 (best in class)
- 200 IM: 1:48.22
- 400 IM: 3:50.09
“I am blessed to announce my verbal commitment to further my athletic and academic career with Indiana University,” Bey wrote on Instagram. “I would like to thank my family, friends, and coaches for helping support me through this decision and getting me to where I am today. Go Hoosiers!!! ⚪️🔴”
As a freshman, Bey led his Hinsdale Central High School squad to the Illinois state title with a victory in the 100 breast (54.51) and a runner-up finish in the 200 IM (1:48.91). He also split 24.97 on the breaststroke leg of Hinsdale Central’s 200 medley relay that broke a state record in 1:29.40.
Bey also had a breakout summer in the long-course pool while competing for his Highland Hurricanes Swim Club. He clocked a personal-best 2:13.39 in the 200 breast at U.S. Nationals, dropping more than five seconds in the event since last August’s Junior Nationals (2:18.87) to rank 6th all-time in the U.S. boys’ 15-16 national age group (NAG). The performance earned him a trip to the World Junior Championships, where he placed 6th in 2:14.56.
Bey isn’t solely a breaststroke specialist. He’s also capable of going 1:48 and 3:50-low in both IMs as well as a 51.6 butterfly split from taking out the 400 IM, which is just over a second faster than his flat-start 100 fly time. That indicates he also has great potential in the 100 fly and could be a Caspar Corbeau-like swimmer who specializes in breaststroke but is also good in sprint fly.
Last season, the Indiana men captured their second Big Ten crown in a row before going on to finish 4th at the 2023 NCAA Championships. The Hoosiers lost their top sprint breaststroker over the offseason in Van Mathias, but they still have Matheny returning for his junior campaign this year.
Bey joins No. 3 recruit Luke Ellis, a distance specialist, and sprint specialist Brandon Fleck in the Hoosiers’ growing class of 2025. By the time they arrive in Bloomington, the Big Ten will have expanded to include Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and USC, but only the latter school supports a men’s swimming program.
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Grandfather Rudy Roca must be very happy. He was an assistant coach for Hinsdale Central HS in the powerhouse days of Coach Don Watson. Those genes worked out very well!
Goes without mentioning that Bey will certainly benefit from a 1 year overlap with Drew Reiter- that kid’s got some of the rawest unadulterated breastroking potential I’ve ever seen, it’s a crime that he doesn’t get a chance to bust it out more often. Watching his prowess in the 200/400 IMs at the International Indiana Senior LCM World Cup Championships this summer was an absolute privilege. That boy’s slicker than a buttered biscuit, and with an absolute banger of a ‘stache hangin out on that upper lip too.
Between this kid and Alexei Avakov, who I think recently made the National Junior Team In the 100 BR, breaststroke university is alive and well!
Coach Looze really focuses on the top guys. Great for Josh!
Can’t wait for this kid to barely improve and Ray to somehow get all the credit for being a “breaststroke guru” when he’s nothing but an old head more yards= better Darwinism approach
L take
Lmaooo guess Andrew’s also an IU hater 😭😭😂😂. Thought it was purely Cal.
*mostly Cal. But i really don’t like Ray’s style of training and swimming max amount of yards approach. I also don’t like how gets so much undue credit for guys like Burns, Peironi, Apple, Hafnaoui, Frankel, etc when he isn’t even their primary coach
Why is it when any of us talk the true about IU they are labeled a hater?
New definition of truth = opinion
Typical response i was expecting.
Look at Lilly King’s, Cody Miller’s, and Ian Finerty’s best times from high school and try to square that with Andrew’s comment. You can’t claim something as asinine as people dropping 3 even 4 seconds in a 100 in 4 years “barely improve[d]” and not be called a hater.
To be fair, Ray’s MO when he first took over at IU was to pound yardage. But even so, that’s not his style now.
You mention 3 elite swimmers who would’ve most likely dropped time anywhere they went.
These takes are crazy. Imagine having no life and hating on a bunch of 16 year olds.
Yikes! How would you know his training style? A chip on your shoulder Andrew C?
IU is killing the recruiting with Luke Ryan as director of recruiting!! Let’s go Hoosiers!!
Luke really doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing this includes his coaching too. Yes, i know this for a fact. I have inside information (I see all.and what’s funny they don’t even know I’m watching)
Gosh just think if Luke did know what he was doing Ahmed could have won 3 golds at worlds instead of those 2 and 1 silver.
Does he really coach him or supervise him? There is a difference you know.
My insider info says differently
https://swimswam.com/practice-pancakes-olympic-champion-ahmed-hafnaoui-crushes-22×75-mile-pace/
“Their main set, led by assistant coach Luke…” Doesn’t say he wrote it.
Wasn’t that one guy…hmmm, I’m trying to remember his name…oh yeah, Ian Finnerty…pretty good as well?
It seems a little off to leave out the NCAA record holder.
He’s mentioned in the article.
He wasn’t initially.
I don’t think Matheny is eligible for the Covid bonus year, right?
Correct- believe the seniors this year are the last that can get an extra year.