See a video interview with Cody Taylor here.
Columbus North senior Cody Taylor announced Friday (Oct. 4) that he has made an oral commitment to swim at Indiana University.
Taylor, an Indiana high school state champion last winter in the 100-yard breaststroke, last month was selected for the U.S. Junior National Team for 2013-14 by USA Swimming.
“I’m really excited about my decision,” Taylor said, noting that he picked the Hoosiers over Louisville, Purdue, Florida and Wisconsin.
“There are a lot of guys from Indiana going there, and I think coach (Ray) Looze is putting together an outstanding team. They have a strong freshman class now, and our class (of 2014) is rated as one of the best nationally. Together, we hope to be the guys who help the team rise even higher, maybe even win the NCAA championship.”
Taylor made his commitment in person on Wednesday to Looze and IU assistant Donny Brush when they visited with him in Columbus. That meeting was just days after Taylor completed his official visit to IU’s Bloomington campus last weekend. He noted that he previously took visits to Louisville and Purdue. He also canceled planned visits to Florida and Wisconsin after committing to the Hoosiers.
The Bull Frogs’ standout will join an IU program that placed second in the 2013 Big Ten Championships and was ninth in the 2013 NCAA Championships. Taylor will sign a national letter-of-intent with the Hoosiers during the early-signing period that runs Nov. 13-20.
By NCAA regulations, Looze, IU men’s swimming coach since June 2002, cannot comment on a prospect until after Taylor signs his letter of intent.
Columbus North coach Jim Sheridan was thrilled for Taylor.
“He’s chosen a program that’s on the rise,” Sheridan said of IU. “Ray has done a good job of getting the Hoosiers back into the top 10, and he’s making a concerted effort for the best athletes in the state. Cody is one of the best in the state, and he definitely is someone that IU wanted to keep home.”
The coach said he expects big things from his swimmer.
“As good as Cody is, he is just scratching the surface of how good he can be,” Sheridan said. “The way he will train at the college level, he will continue to make progress and cut his times.”
Taylor, who already has received direct admission to Kelley School of Business and plans to double major in accounting and finance, said that academics were a significant part of his college choice.
“The first thing I looked at when considering all the schools was academics,” Taylor said. “Kelley School of Business is really strong, especially in surveys from employers. I’m very interested in accounting and also considering investment banking as a career choice.”
Taylor was chosen to the U.S. Junior National Team in the 200-meter breaststroke by USA Swimming after posting a time of 2:16:12 in the U.S. Junior National Championships on Aug. 5-9 at Irvine, Calif. He also competed in the 100-meter breaststroke, the 200 IM and the 400 free at the Junior Nationals.
In the 2012-13 high school season, Taylor was the Indiana state champion in the 100-yard breast in 55.25 and state runner-up in the 200 IM in 1:50.54. He also helped Columbus North’s 200 and 400 free relays to respective second- and third-place finishes at the state meet with times of 1:24.99 and 3:07.83.
Taylor becomes the seventh member of Columbus North’s class of 2014 to make a college commitment. The others are Kenadie Carlson (women’s soccer, Xavier), Kelsey Cunningham (women’s basketball, Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Christian Fairbanks (men’s golf, Indiana), Tayler Goodall (women’s basketball, Florida Gulf Coast) and twins Mara and Tessa Krempel (both women’s track, Western Kentucky).
At IU, Taylor joins a men’s swimming recruiting class that includes Chesterton senior Blake Pieroni and West Lafayette senior Brandon Colonis. Pieroni was the 2013 state champion in the 200 IM and 100 free. Colonis placed sixth in the state meet in the 100 butterfly.
“I know a lot of people follow IU basketball,” Taylor said. “I want to tell people to watch out for IU swimming. We’re going to be very, very fast.”
The above is a press release submitted by the Columbus North Athletics Department and their Sports Information officer Pat McKee.
