A swimmer since the age of nine, Matt was instilled with a sense of the need for correct stroke technique and constant feedback to the swimmer. In high school, Matt played water polo and swam in Los Angeles, CA, and broke the school record in the breaststroke.  At Pasadena City College Matt earned All American swimming honors while helping his team to the highest national finish in school history. 

At age 19, while still swimming for PCC, Matt became the head coach of the South Pasadena Seat Tigers swim team. With a lot of enthusiasm, some knowledge of his sport, and experiences from his past, Matt took a team of 25 swimmers, gave them good instruction and feedback, and grew the team to 125 swimmers within a year.  Matt kept them swimming by helping them reach their goals while having fun, and learning how to be focused and competitive at the same time.

Many of the swimmers from South Pasadena Sea Tigers team developed into collegiate swimmers that attended schools such as Brown, Princeton, Duke, USC, UC Irvine, and many other California schools. The most important thing to Matt was that the swimmers were able to take a sport they loved and use it to better their lives. Matt’s experiences in life and the sport of swimming have directly impacted the philosophies developed in coaching new and experienced swimmers alike.

While taking a break from coaching swimming, Matt graduated from CSULA with a B.S. in Physical Education and a later an M.A. in Education.  He has taught Physical Education to elementary students up through high school, been an Athletic Director, and has coached baseball, softball, basketball, flag football, tennis, and more.  Through all of his other coaching experiences, he felt the need and desire to go back to coaching swimming.  Matt’s education and experience with children has been crucial in the development of a swimming lesson program, Sunfish Swimming Lessons, which marked the beginnings of the Meridian Streamliners swim team. Understanding how children learn and accomplish physical movements is what makes Matt such an asset to the team. 

Matt and his wife Rachel moved to the Boise area in 2005 from Southern California.  They have four children together.