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Josh Heydt has made a verbal commitment to swim and study at the Southern Methodist University, beginning next fall. Heydt confirmed the decision in an email to SwimSwam, writing:
I am blessed to announce my commitment to continue my athletic and academic career at Southern Methodist University. I would firstly like to thank God who has blessed me with this opportunity. Thanks to my parents for the endless support and sacrifice, and to my sister for being a built-in best friend. I am grateful for all of the amazing coaches who have supported me throughout my journey, especially Tom, Daric, Skyler, and Jill, who have had a lasting impact on me both as an athlete and as a person. I would like to thank all of my friends and teammates for their great support. Finally, a special thanks to Coach Rhodenbaugh and the rest of the SMU staff for this incredible opportunity. Pony up!!!
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 20.64
- 100 Freestyle: 45.58
- 100 Butterfly: 49.02
- 100 Backstroke: 49.94
The future Mustang hails from Littleton, Colorado, where he attends Valor Christian High School and trains year-round with Aces Swim Club. A pure sprint specialist, his top events are the sprint freestyles, as well as the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke.
Throughout his high school career, Heydt has been a steady presence at the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) 5A State Championships. As a freshman, he competed in the 100 fly and placed 32nd in 53.99. As a sophomore, he scored for the first time, finishing 16th in both the 50 free (21.47) and 100 fly (51.21). Last year, he advanced to the ‘A’ finals, placing fourth in the 50 free (20.73) and seventh in the 100 fly (49.89).
The 2024-25 season saw him make some big strides in the pool, particularly in the 100 back, where he dropped from 52.69 to 49.94. He also improved dramatically in his other top events, lowering his times from 21.47 to 20.64 in the 50 free, 47.41 to 45.58 in the 100 free, and 51.10 to 49.02 in the 100 fly.
The SMU men, led by head coach Greg Rhodenbaugh, finished 11th at the 2025 ACC Swimming and Diving Championships. The team went on to place 35th at the NCAA Championships.
At last season’s ACC Championships, where ‘A,’ ‘B,’ and ‘C’ finals were scored, it took times of 19.41 (50 free), 42.78 (100 free), 1:46.68 (200 free), 46.21 (100 fly), 46.71 (100 back) to score in Heydt’s primary events.
Based on his current times, Heydt would have ranked 10th in the 100 back, 13th in the 100 fly, 14th in the 50 free, and 18th in the 100 free on the team’s 2024–25 depth chart. Lance Butler (19.49) and Harold Lockhart (42.78) led the Mustangs’ sprint free group, while Jack Berube (45.74) topped the 100 back and Russell Exum (46.78) was the fastest in the 100 fly. Heydt will overlap one year with Berube, while the other top performers will have graduated by the time he arrives on campus.
Heydt joins Mark Heffern and Danny Park as SMU’s only publicized recruit for their class of 2030.
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