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Josh Toothman of Parma, Ohio has announced his verbal commitment to the admissions process at Cornell University. Toothman is currently a senior at St. Ignatius High School and swims year-round with the Lake Erie Silver Dolphins.
“I am proud to announce my commitment to the admissions process to continue my academic and athletic careers at Cornell University! I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of an amazing program and experience the unparalleled academic possibilities at Cornell! I want to thank my family, friends, and Coach Eric for their endless support and guidance throughout this process! Moreover, I want to thank Coach Wes and Coach Jake for the chance to join the Cornell swim family! Go Big Red! #papabear“
Earlier this year, Toothman was the runner-up in the 50 free (20.45) at the OHSAA Division 1 State Championship with a best time, Summer Juniors cut, and earning High School All-American honors. He also placed 6th in the 100 free (46.13), and led off St. Ignatius’ 4th-place 400 free relay and 7th-place 200 medley relay (23.19). Most impressive is the improvement he showed in just one year. At the 2022 edition of the meet, he attended the state championships as a relay-only swimmer and held best times of 21.43 in the 50 free and 47.98 in the 100 free. St. Ignatius as a whole had an excellent meet overall, placing 5th after being seeded to take 8th.
Toothman continued that momentum into the big pool. He capped off his summer at the West Virginia Summer Senior Showdown with best times in the 50 free (23.16), 100 free (51.93), 200 free (1:57.18), and 100 back (59.57). His 50 free (LCM) time is a US Open cut.
Best SCY Times:
- 50 free – 20.45
- 100 free – 45.73
- 200 free – 1:41.20
- 100 back – 51.35
- 100 fly – 52.23
Last year, the Cornell men placed 7th of 8 teams at the Ivy League Championships. The Big Red are led by alumnus Wes Newman ‘09 who has held the head coach position since 2015. Toothman is just on the cusp of conference scoring times. He’s just 0.01 off of the 20.44 it took to qualify for 50 and 0.69 off the 45.04 it took in the 100. Last year, then-senior Jeremy Marcin was the team’s highest finisher in the 50, placing 23rd overall. Current junior Dominic Edwards finished 15th in the 100 free.
Outside of the pool, Toothman is an AP Scholar, a member of the National Honor Society, and volunteers to tutor underprivileged kids through a partnership with his high school. He has an older brother, Zach, who competes for D3 Case Western University. Toothman intends to study biological sciences with a concentration in cellular biology when he arrives in Ithaca.
Toothman is the first public commitment to Cornell’s incoming class of 2028.
*Note: A verbal commitment between an Ivy League coach and a prospective student-athlete is not an offer of admission, as only the Admission Office has that authority. The coach can only commit his or her support in the admission process. Ivy League Admission Offices do not issue “Likely Letters” before October 1 of the prospective student-athlete’s senior year of high school. The Likely Letter, while issued after an initial read of the student’s application, is not an offer of admission to the university.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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