Josie Panitz Staying with Ohio State for 5th Year Instead of Transferring to Cal

Ohio State senior Josie Panitz will remain in Columbus next season to use her fifth year of collegiate eligibility with the Buckeyes.

Last summer, Panitz verbally committed to Cal for the 2023-24 season as a graduate transfer with plans to study business administration and entrepreneurship in Berkeley. This season, the Big Ten champion in the 200 IM (1:54.96) changed her mind.

“I’ve decided to take my fifth year at Ohio State because of the dedication and love I have for my teammates and coaches,” Panitz told SwimSwam. “I’m looking forward to another year at home, in Columbus.”

Along with her conference title in the 200 IM, Panitz also tallied runner-up finishes in the 100 breast (58.29) and 200 breast (2:07.57) at last month’s Big Ten Championships. At last week’s NCAA Championships, she lowered her lifetime best in the 100 breast to 57.88 in prelims before ultimately placing seventh in the final (58.12) and totaling 12 points for Ohio State. She also swam the breaststroke leg (58.06) on the Buckeyes’ 400 medley relay squad that placed sixth to earn another 26 points.

Best Times (SCY) 

• 100 breast – 57.88
• 200 breast – 2:07.38
• 200 IM – 1:54.96

Panitz shaved over a second off her best 100 breast time this past season, more than half a second in the 200 breast, and over two seconds in the 200 IM.

Her decision to keep swimming for Ohio State next season is a blow to Cal, which is in need of breaststroke specialists. Panitz’s 58.06 breast split on the Buckeyes’ 400 medley relay team at NCAAs was more than 1.5 seconds faster than 11th-place Cal’s breast split (59.57 by freshman Jade Neser).

Ohio State ended up placing 6th at NCAAs (223 points) in the overall team standings, the highest finish in program history. Cal placed 11th (137 points).