Barthlow

This is the second in a series of four articles profiling the 2017 inductees into the Butler Area School District Athletic Hall of FameZELIENOPLE — Josh Barthlow's swimming career ended 12 years ago.His swimming legacy lives on.Barthlow, a 2004 Butler graduate, is being inducted into the Butler Area School District Athletic Hall of Fame this year. The induction ceremony takes place at 6 p.m. Dec. 22 in the high school cafeteria.Other 2017 inductees include golfer Jeff Diehl, track great Gwen Murray and gymnastics coach Dave McKinnis.“This was a total surprise,” Barthlow said. “I never thought I was even up for something like this.”Barthlow's swim career ended prematurely following his first season at East Carolina University. He opted for shoulder surgery at that point.“The surgery was going to tighten up my joints and limit range of motion, which would affect my ability to swim,” Barthlow said. “But if I didn't have the surgery, my shoulder may not have been right for years top come.“You think of every-day life ... I feel like I made the right decision.”Before giving up competing in the pool, Barthlow accomplished plenty.He won three WPIAL championships — twice in the 100-yard backstroke, once in the 100 butterfly — in his high school career. He claimed the state title in the 100 butterfly as a senior.Throughout his prep career, Barthlow was a seven-time WPIAL placer and four-time PIAA placer.“Winning that state championship was a big deal to me,” he said. “I wasn't expected to win it, but all of the cards just fell into place.”A high school All-American five times, Barthlow still holds Butler High School record times of 50.83 seconds in the 100 butterfly and 50.48 seconds in the 100 backstroke.“I'm a firm believer that records are made to be broken,” Barthlow said. “It's cool my records are still there. (Current Butler coach) Dave Bocci used to coach me at Butler and told me they were, but I'm hoping someone comes along and beats them.“I know previous records pushed and motivated me. I'm hoping things I accomplished at Butler pushes some of the up and coming swimmers in the program.”Barthlow was 7 when he began swimming for the Penn Valley summer team. In his second season, he broke a record set by eventual Olympian Eric Namesnik.“I didn't understand the magnitude of that at the time,” Barthlow said. “Once I learned of Eric's background, I began chasing his records, using them as goals.“I was taught by John “Pump” McLaughlin at the YMCA. Practically everybody in Butler learned how to swim through him.”Despite swimming only one full season at East Carolina, Barthlow still ranks sixth all-time at the school in the 100 and 200 backstroke.“I got to compete at the U.S. Open, lining up in a lane next to Ryan Lochte and swam against other future Olympians,” Barthlow said. “It was a thrill for me to experience that.”Barthlow finished his college education at Robert Morris. He is employed now as a digital marketing manager and lives in Zelienople.He gave private swim lessons and coached at the Butler YMCA until approximately five years ago.He married his high school sweetheart, former Butler swimmer Katie Blum, and the couple has two small children.“Getting married and starting a family, I got out of coaching,” Barthlow said. “I may one day get back into it. I met my wife through swimming. I owe that sport a lot.”