Mike Matter joined the SVSU Swimming and Diving coaching staff as its first-ever Diving Coach in 2014 and returns to the program for the 2022-23 season.
The Women’s Diving Team and the Men’s Diving Team both continued to impress under Matter’s coaching during the 2016-17 season. Matter coached one diver to an early season qualifier for the NCAA Championship Dive-in meet, and later in the season, to the title of GLIAC Swim and Dive athlete of the week. The Diving team completed the season with a strong showing at the GLIAC Championship meet, and contributed to the teams’ overall 4th place showing.
The 2015-16 season was strong for the 2nd year Women’s Diving Team and first-year Men’s Team. Matter coached one male diver and 2 female divers to the NCAA Division II Dive-in meet, and two divers went on to qualify for the NCAA Championship. Matter’s divers also contributed to the teams’ GLIAC academic excellence honors and CSCAA Scholar All-America team honors.
The Cardinal Divers also saw much success in 2014-15. Matter coached one of his 3 divers all the way to the NCAA Division II Dive-in meet, where they had the chance to qualify to compete at the NCAA Championships.
Matter, a resident of Saginaw, Mich., has a long list of accomplishments as a distinguished member of the local swimming & diving community dating back 31 years.
He was most recently the Varsity Diving Coach at Saginaw Heritage High School and White Pine Middle School, a position that he held from 2002-2013. Prior to the diving position, he held the title of Boys Varsity Swimming & Diving Coach at Heritage during the years 2002-09 and Girls Varsity Swimming & Diving Coach from 2006-09.
Matter served as the Swimming & Diving Coach at Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central High School for 12 years, along with coaching stints at the Saginaw YMCA (1972-74, 86-94), St. Stephen's High School (1977-81), Bay City Central High School (1975-76), and South Junior High School (1973-74).
Mike has earned numerous honors over the span of his coaching career as well. He was the 2006 Saginaw Valley Girls and Boys "Coach of the Year." Matter has been named the MISCA Zone 8 Girls "Coach of the Year" (2006), MISCA Regional "Coach of the Year" (2001, 1999) and coached a 1998 team that was recognized as the MISCA Academic All-State Champion with a team GPA of 3.77.
He has coached swimmers to eight individual state championships, one all-american honor, and has had 20 divers who have competed in State Finals competition. He has coached a pair of divers to all-american honors.
A graduate of Northern Michigan University, he was a captain of the men's varsity swimming team that he competed on from 1967-71. He served as an Undergraduate Assistant Coach one season at Northern before graduating with a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education in January of 1972. Matter was inducted into the Northern Michigan University Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
