Josh Howat, The No. 12 Recruit in High School Class of 2025, Commits to Virginia

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Josh Howat, the #12 ranked recruit for the Boys High School Class of 2025, has announced his commitment to continue his academic and athletic careers at Virginia beginning in the 2025-2026 school year.

The Springfield, Virginia native primarily specializes in the sprint freestyle events and has made huge strides in both SCY and LCM over the last year. This past March, he swam best times in both the 50 and 100 freestyle. At NCSAs at the beginning of March, he swam a 20.03 to finish 4th in the 50 free and a 44.05 to finish 4th in the 100 free. Later in March, he swam even faster in the 50 free, breaking the 20-second mark for the first time swimming a 19.92.

Over the summer, Howat went three for three in personal bests at Summer Juniors. He led off Nations Capital Swim Club’s (NCAP) 200 free relay in a 22.76, an Olympic Trials cut time. He also swam a 50.50 in the 100 free and a 1:56.24 in the 200 free.

Howat is currently a junior at Lake Braddock High School. His best SCY times are:

• 50 free: 19.92
• 100 free: 44.05
• 200 free: 1:38.15

Howat is one of the best pure-sprinters in the boys high school class of 2025 and already has the potential to make an impact at the conference level as his 50 free best time would have made the ACC ‘C’ final this past season.

The Virginia men have had the sprint freestyles as one of their strengths recently, as they most notably set a new American Record in the 200 freestyle relay during the 2022 ACC Championships swimming a 1:14.47. All of the splits on that relay were in the 18-mid range, with the “slowest” split a 18.87 on the leadoff.

Howat joins the class of 2029 along with #1 Thomas Heilman, #2 Maximus Williamson, and #8 Thomas Mercer as members of the class of 2029.

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