As head coach of the Southington RAYS, I have been involved in competitive swimming since I was 11 years old when I began swimming for the Cheshire YMCA Water Devils.  I swam all four years at Cheshire High School and was captain in 1984. I earned All-Housatonic and All-State rank while in high school and swam at YMCA Nationals for several years.  After high school I went on to swim at Springfield College for three seasons,  representing my school at the NCAA Division III championships as a freshman.  In my sophomore year, I along with ten other swimmers and coaches from Springfield College traveled to China, Japan, Hong Kong, and Korea working with swim teams in those regions.  During this time I had the privilege of staying at the Olympic Village in Seoul, Korea.  I have continued my love for swimming by watching all three of my children swim for Cheshire Sea Dogs and Cheshire High School throughout the years.
 

Coach Matt is from Watertown CT. He started his swimming career at the age of 5 for his local park and rec swim team in Watertown. By the end of middle school, he had excelled in the sport and decided to move his swimming career over to a more competitive atmosphere. As a freshman in high school, he started club swimming with the Waterbury YMCA and also swam for his local high school in Watertown. He went on to qualify for YMCA nationals 4 years in a row with Waterbury and swam at state finals all 4 years at Watertown. He holds a few relay records at the Waterbury YMCA and was named rookie of the year for Watertown in his freshmen year as well as a team captain in his senior year. Matt then continued his swimming career at SCSU where he swam all 4 years and was again named a captain of the team in his senior year. Following his swimming career, he missed the sport so much that he had to find other ways to be involved. He then turned the page to coaching. He started his coaching career at ARAC where he had a 3 year tenure. Following his time with Amity, Matt turned to our YMCA program where he is thrilled to become a part of the RAYS family!

Coming from a swimming family, I began swimming when I was 7 at the Marietta YMCA in Marietta, Ohio.  When my family moved to Rhode Island in 1988 I briefly swam for the Barrington YMCA before joining the now defunct East Bay Aquatic Club (EBAC) until I graduated from high school in 1997.  While attending East Providence High School,  I contributed to my family’s 10 year run where there was a Mooney represented at the All-State banquet.  After High School I attended Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) where I eventually earned an athletic scholarship for swimming.  While at CCSU I attained all-conference accolades at the Mid-Continent Conference (now defunct), the Northeast Conference and the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conferences..  During the 2000-2001 year I was a member of the relay that broke the CCSU school record in the 400 freestyle relay.   

This is the first year I will be on the pool deck in a competitive nature since 2002 where I was an undergraduate assistant at CCSU.

I have been with the Southington Community YMCA for 40 years. During my time at the YMCA, I have
been a swim instructor, lifeguard and most currently Aquatic Director. My experience in swimming goes
back to being a synchronized swimmer since I was 12 years old. While I was not a competitive USA
Swimmer, I was a competitive Synchro swimmer and have been teaching swimmers for 40 years. I am a
Faculty Instructor for YMCA of the USA where I train Lifeguards, Lifeguard Trainers, Swim Instructors and
Swim Instructor Trainers. I have worked with the National YMCA Aquatic Team on Water Safety projects
and new methods in teaching swim lessons. I have not been coaching for many years however my
strength is in focusing on the details and perfecting strokes, turns and starts in young swimmers
especially Pre-Team and Age Group levels.

I began swimming at age 6 as a member of the Southington RAYS, where I spent 12 years developing a love for the sport. I continued swimming at Southington High School and was captain my senior year. After high school, I went on to swim at Springfield College, where I competed in backstroke and butterfly events. During my junior year, I swam at the NCAA Division III National Championships as part of the 200 medley relay, breaking the school record twice, once at the NEWMAC Championships and again at Nationals. I graduated from Springfield in 2025 and am currently pursuing a Master’s degree at Southern Connecticut State University. I’m excited to return to the RAYS, this time as a coach, and to share my passion for swimming with the next generation!

I began swimming at the age of 7 with the Southington RAYS, later captained the Southington High School team, and went on to swim Division I at Marist University from my freshman to junior year. Highlights of my career include competing in the mile at the National Invitational Championship as a sophomore and winning the MAAC Championship with my team as a junior. I specialized in distance freestyle but trained across nearly every event except butterfly, and I’m excited to return to the RAYS to begin my coaching career.