A coaching veteran of seven years, Matt Martinez joined the Wisconsin swimming and diving program as an assistant coach in 2022.
Martinez comes to Madison after helping Cal win the 2022 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving National Championship in March. Martinez served as a volunteer assistant coach, spending time working with every training group throughout the season including NCAA champions Hugo Gonzalez and Destin Lasco.
“I’d like to thank Yuri Suguiyama for this incredible opportunity and welcoming me into the Wisconsin Swimming & Diving Family,” Martinez said. “With the help of an amazing coaching staff, Yuri has truly set a plan in motion for this program to compete for Big Ten and NCAA championships, and I am looking forward to using my own experiences in the sport to help the Badgers take that next step.
“I want to thank Dave Durden, Chase Kreitler, and David Marsh for their mentorship during my time with the Golden Bears. Now I’m excited to get started in Madison and start working with our student-athletes to achieve their goals in the pool and classroom. Go Badgers!”
“As I looked to fill this position, my key two criteria were finding someone who would be a positive force in out student-athletes’ lives and someone who has coached at a high level. In Matt, I believe we found the perfect fit,” Suguiyama added. “His energy and enthusiasm on the pool deck coupled with his time working with the National Champions will benefit our program from day one. We can’t wait to welcome him to Madison!”
Martinez also has experience with three additional Division I programs and most recently spent the 2019-20 season as an assistant coach with the Warringah Aquatic Swim Club in New South Wales, Australia. Prior to that, Martinez served as an assistant coach at Binghamton University (2018-19), a volunteer assistant at Notre Dame (2017-18) and a graduate assistant at Saint Louis University (2015-17).
Martinez earned his bachelor of arts degree from Arizona State in 2014 and completed his master of arts from Saint Louis University in 2017.
