University of Connecticut swimming coach Bob Goldberg announced the addition of Matt Donovan to UConn’s coaching staff on Tuesday.
Donovan, who has extensive coaching experience at both the collegiate and club level, joins the Connecticut swimming and diving team as an assistant coach. The former Keene State swimmer earned a varsity letter in all four of his years with the Owls, and he qualified for the Conference Championship each season. He was a team captain at Keene State, where he received his bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, finishing with a 3.0 GPA.
Following school, Donovan served as an assistant coach at Farmington High School in Connecticut. He helped lead the school to four Nutmeg Conference team championships from 1998-2000, and seven swimmers earned All-State honors throughout his time there.
Donovan jumped to the college ranks in 2004 as an assistant coach for Rutgers University, where he was supervised by four-time Big East Coach of the Year Chuck Warner. He took on many roles while with the Scarlet Knights, including supervising team practices and organizing Group Swim lessons.
In May of 2000, Donovan was named the head swim coach of the Somerset Valley YMCA Swim Team. He spent 15 years with the team, overseeing a program of over 400 participants. His primary responsibilities included training the senior athletes and looking over all aspects of the club’s aquatic business. Donovan saw great success while with Somerset Valley, leading the team to the New Jersey State Championship in 2006, and 2010-14. He was tabbed as the New Jersey All-Star Team Coach in 2003 and 2004.
Prior to Tuesday’s hire, Donovan held a brief coaching stint with the YMCA of Broward County it Florida, starting in August of 2014. He now joins a Connecticut team that just wrapped up competition in the Louisville Invitational this past weekend. The Huskies, who both stand at 2-1 on the season in dual meets, will send multiple swimmers to the AT&T Winter Nationals, set for Dec. 5-7.
