Double Duty: Van Mathias Balancing Roles as Surging Breaststroke Star and Indiana Director of Ops
A typical workday for Van Mathias looks similar to most of us. The University of Indiana Swimming’s Director of Operations works on answering emails, coordinating travel for the Hoosiers, and ensuring events run smoothly. By day, Mathias is a hardworking employee, a key cog in the machine. But in his free time, the 26-year-old turns into an entirely different beast: One of the fastest sprint breaststrokers in the world.
At the recent USA Swimming Pro Series stop in Austin, Mathias bested the fields to win the 50-meter (and 100 breaststrokes, setting the world’s fastest time in the 50 for the early portion of the season. For an athlete who took a two-year hiatus from the sport, before restarting training last year, it was quite an encouraging sign for the 2026 campaign.
“I’m super pleased with how the week went,” Mathias told Swimming World. “I’m dying pretty hard (conditioning-wise), but I’m showing I can still put down a great time.”
The former Hoosier All-American has had quite the unorthodox journey to this latest point. But strong dedication to the sport has led him to the spotlight, all while working a crucial day job.
“We’re trying to do something pretty cool and pretty different,” he said.
Refinding Focus
Mathias’ journey back to swimming was one that even he didn’t see coming. After five successful years at Indiana, the swimmer felt comfortable with where he finished his career, ready to begin his life in the work world. His final year was a breakout season, as Mathias finaled at NCAAs for the first time ever, doing so in three events. Mathias’ meet was highlighted by a second-place finish in the 100 breaststroke.
“I was thinking more about the big picture, especially having finished my career on a high note,” he said.
Mathias transitioned into a different role with the Hoosiers, one that involves quite a bit of time spent around IU Natatorium. And being so close to the sport he loved, he found it hard to stay away.
“Being on deck with my old coaches, now my coworkers, it’s really hard to distance yourself,” Mathias said. “Your life really revolves around it.”
Mathias pointed to the time on deck, while not competing in the pool, as a serious difference-maker in his outlook on the sport.
“It gave me some appreciation, seeing it from a different perspective,” he said. “It helped me find gratitude (for the sport).”
Doing Things Differently
The mindset shift led Mathias to seek out John Long Jr., Indiana’s Associate Head Coach under head man Ray Looze. The two had worked closely during Mathias’ fifth year. Long and Mathias were inspired by an approach they saw at the United States Olympic Trials, where sprinters were working more on quality, instead of quantity, in the pool. It’s an approach growing among sprinters, with top athletes like Cam McEvoy employing a similar strategy.
“It’s not a lot of yardage, not a lot of practice in the week,” Mathias said. “But every practice is super focused technically, and has a purpose.”
Mathias’ work in the pool also revolves heavily around the use of video analysis. Using technology, the swimmer is able to break down specific elements of his stroke, tracking improvements and making adjustments.
“We’re able to quantify and measure whether I’m improving visually,” Mathias said. “It’s super helpful.”
In the weight room, Mathias pointed to his program as one that uniquely differs from his training in the pool.
“We try to work anterior and posterior muscles that you’re not using all the time in the pool, in the gym,” Mathias said. “If these muscles are weak, the other muscles (that you’re using heavily in the pool) could get overworked, so we try to find balance.”
It’s a strategy that he believes allows him to work on more technical work inside the pool.
“When we’re in the pool, we don’t really have to worry as much about getting stronger or more mobile,” Mathias said. “We come prepared.”
The training is very different from what Mathias experienced during his college career. There’s significantly less time in the water than a typical Division I training schedule. But the swimmer believes in it strongly, in large part due to the mental impact it’s had on him.
“The guys (on Indiana’s team) like to talk trash to me, saying ‘you barely swim,'” he said. “But this new training, it’s really allowed me to enjoy swimming again.”
Juggling Two Jobs
While the training has helped Mathias in the water, it’s also served another purpose: Allowing him to be successful at his job. The U.S. National Teamer must balance fulfilling his duties as Director of Operations with his career, leaving less time to practice than the typical professional swimmer.
“Fortunately, I’m competing in these sprint events, so I don’t need long sessions every day,” Mathias said. “I’m able to get my work in faster than I could in college.”
Occasionally, though, his role does supersede his work in the pool, making for a frustrating dilemma.
“There’s definitely been times where I’ve had to sacrifice practices, especially around busy times like recruiting season,” Mathias said. “Sometimes you feel like you’re missing out, or you’re behind.”
However, the swimmer emphasized that mentally, he feels he gets over his feelings of anxiety with gratitude for the pool.
“I think I’ve just realized that being in the pool is a blessing,” he said. “It’s something I took for granted in college, and now having to search for time in the day (to swim) has made me more appreciative.”
Next Steps
Mathias’ performance at the Pro Series leg in Austin signals a swimmer on the right path. He set three personal-best times during the meet, going 26.57 in the 50 breaststroke and 59.45 in the 100 breaststroke. He also logged a stellar time of 23.06 in the 50 butterfly. Mathias’ time in the 50 breast is just off Nic Fink’s American record of 26.52. According to the swimmer, his progress is convincing others at Indiana to join him in these ultra-specific practices.
“I’ve been able to convert some of the recently graduated swimmers into what we’ve coined as the ‘super sprint group,’” Mathias said.
He pointed to the group of “four or five” as beneficial toward his own training, by providing camaraderie.
“This summer, it was really hard to often grind out hard sets by myself,” he said. “It’s a lot easier to swim with some great training partners around you.”
For Mathias, though, that training will have to wait. As Director of Operations, a busy stretch awaits, with conference championships and NCAAs right around the corner. He’s looked to tweak his program, in order to adjust to this dilemma.
“I’m going to have more access to weight training than I do to a pool, so we’re going to shift our focus more to the weight room,” he said. “It’ll be nice to focus on getting more explosive, so I feel good in the pool this summer.”
The goal is more weekends like the one he enjoyed in Austin, with that success arriving on a larger stage. Mathias will race during the summer at the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine. Mathias is confident his program could create greater change.
“We’re really trying to put people on notice of what we’re doing here,” he said.