There was a time when William Toth hated swimming. The Gloucester Catholic High School senior’s mother signed him up for lessons at age 6 and he joined Wenonah Swim Club to swim competitively during the summers in the Tri-County Swim League.
It didn’t go over well with Toth at first.
“I didn’t want to swim. I didn’t want to be on the team,” he recalled. “But she pushed me, and it got better. Now, I’ve been doing it for the last 11 years.”
Toth has become one of the best high school sprinters in South Jersey, specializing in the 50 and 100 freestyle events, while chipping in on relay teams, sometimes swimming the butterfly in the medley relay when the Rams need it. Toth stepped up in a leadership role even before the pools opened for the winter season.
“The first thing I see in him is leadership,” said first-year Gloucester Catholic coach Matt Simmermon. “He reached out to me before we even started practicing. He was talking to me about things he had planned and goals he had set. He’s a grinder, and he doesn’t hold back. I see a lot of great things in him that I’ve seen in other great swimmers.”
Toth is hoping to help the Rams continue down a winning path. Since his freshman year, Gloucester Catholic was 7-1 in 2020, 4-0 in a pandemic-shortened 2021 season, and 9-2 last year, which included a Non-Public B quarterfinal playoff win. The Rams lost a number of talented seniors last year to graduation with many young, raw athletes filling their spots this winter. Toth has put in the extra time to help newcomers get acclimated to their surroundings.
“As senior captain, it’s my job to help these new kids get adjusted to high school swimming,” Toth said. “They need to learn the starts, the turns, the strokes, and I don’t care how long it takes, I just want everyone to be the best version of themselves.”
Toth tossing life preservers shouldn’t come as a surprise. As a member of the student council and National Honors Society, Toth spends his free time tutoring younger students at Gloucester Catholic. It’s something he enjoys doing.
“I think it’s the fact that I can help people see the problem and help them understand it instead of being confused,” Toth said. “I think it’s great to help people get on the right path.”
He also wants to help people in the future. Toth will attend High Point University in North Carolina next year and study physical therapy while pursuing a degree in exercise science.
“I wanted to do something that could help people reach their fitness goals or help people with their injuries,” he said. “I thought physical therapy was the best for that. I just really want to help people.”
It was his mother who helped him make the decision to attend High Point University. The two visited the campus over the summer.
“She helps me out with a lot of things in my life,” he said of this mother. “I definitely owe a lot to her. We had a talk about everything, including me leaving for college soon.”
According to Toth, senior year seems to be racing to an end faster than he barrels down on the finish line in the pool. This will be his final year swimming as High Point doesn’t have a team. It was a tough decision Toth made in favor of his future.
“I think 11 years is enough for me,” he said. “I really do love swimming, and I’m really sad I have to leave it this year.”
There’s still a handful of meets to meet his goal. Toth is hoping to qualify for the state championships in the 50 free.
“I didn’t think the end would come this soon,” Toth said after the Rams opened the season with an 83-58 victory over Salem on Dec. 9. “This is my last first meet, and it’s definitely emotional. But I’m just trying to make my goal this year. I’m going pedal to the metal.”
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