UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Associate head coach of Penn State Swimming & Diving Matt Hurst will move to Connecticut to become head coach of the Chelsea Piers Aquatic Club.
"My family and I are extremely grateful for our time in Happy Valley," Hurst said. "The opportunity to be a part of this team was more than we ever hoped. 'Thank you' only begins to describe what that means to me."
During his seven years in Happy Valley, the Nittany Lions scored at the NCAA Championships each time the competition took place, swam in the Olympics and won B1G Championship titles.
"I personally owe him a deep credit, a debt of gratitude to him to come and both learn and grow as a coach," head coach Tim Murphy said. "[Hurst's] become a very well-respected coach within the profession in terms of what he's been able to do here for us."
Competing against the best collegiate swimmers in the country, 25 athletes have qualified for the NCAA championships while Hurst has been a coach. And during the past year's championships, Penn State swimmers broke five school records – touching in program bests in the men's 100 and 200 breast, 200 medley relay and 100 fly and the women's 100 back.
Hurst's close work with sprinters helped send Gabe Castano to last summer's Olympics to compete for Mexico in the 50 free. Melissa Rodriguez and Shane Ryan, swimming for Mexico and Ireland, also represented Penn State as graduates.
Hurst focused primarily on sprinters, working to establish identity and expectations for these swimmers.
"Matt [Hurst] always went the extra mile to make his team feel like they had a family away from home," sophomore swimmer Mary Brinker said. "I was challenged by Matt [Hurst] to be a better swimmer, teammate and person. He believed and encouraged me during my adjustment to college swimming. Matt [Hurst] taught me how to be a true sprinter and become competitive. He has had a lasting impact on me. I will miss Matt [Hurst], but I am excited to see what's next for him! "
From race specific workouts to book clubs and yoga, Hurst's holistic approach to high performance is at the root of his success. Since graduating from Southern Connecticut with a master's degree in human performance and exercise science, he has deliberately put the entire person at the center of training, ensuring that athletes are mentally, emotionally and physically ready to practice.
"As a program we challenge our athletes to leave Penn State better than they found it," Hurst said. "In our time here, we've done that. Penn State Swimming & Diving has certainly made me better. On behalf of myself, Theresa, Annabelle and Michael, thank you Penn State. We love ya Lions!"
"We're going to miss Matt Hurst and his family tremendously," Murphy said. "We wish them all the best. This is a unique opportunity for him and his family, and we're delighted that he's able to step away from Penn State to take on that challenge. I have nothing but high expectations for the work that he'll be able to do there. He'll always be part of our Penn State Swimming and Diving family. And we will certainly watch his success moving forward."
Check GoPSUSports.com for coverage of the Penn State Swimming & Diving teams during the season. Follow the team on Instagram at @pennstateswimdive, on Twitter at @PennStateSWIM and on Facebook at facebook.com/pennstateswimminganddiving.
