Wisconsin Hires Matt Martinez from Cal as Assistant Coach

MATTMARTINEZAssistentCoach
Photo Courtesy: Wisconsin Athletics

Wisconsin Hires Matt Martinez from Cal as Assistant Coach

Wisconsin on Friday announced the hiring of Matt Martinez as an assistant coach to the swimming and diving program.

Martinez was a volunteer assistant coach last year with the NCAA men’s champion University of California. He worked with all of the Golden Bears’ training groups but in particular with 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 in a Wisconsin statement. “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!”

Though young – he’s a 2014 graduate of Arizona State – Martinez has etched a well-traveled career. Before the volunteer gig at Cal, he spent 2019-20 in Australia with Warringah Aquatic Club outside Sydney. He’s also experienced in the college realm, starting as a graduate assistant at Saint Louis University from 2015-17, where he received a master’s degree. He was a volunteer assistant at Notre Dame in 2017-18 and an assistant coach at Binghamton University in 2018-19.

“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,” Wisconsin head coach Yuri Suguiyama said. “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!”

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