LSU Gold

#999 Matt Coenen Season 2002-03

Position
Breaststroke
Class
Freshman
Hometown
Rayville, La.
High School
Rayville HS

2006 U.S. Spring National Champion (200-meter breaststroke)

SENIOR SEASON (2005-06)
Finished his career as a national champion in the breaststroke event … Became the school’s first U.S. national champion of the millennium, capturing the 200-meter breaststroke at the U.S. Spring National Championships … Posted the top preliminary time of the event (2:19.36) and then kept his pace in the finals with a time of 2:19.98 … Clocking was nearly a second better than that of second place … Held LSU’s top time of the season in the 200 breaststroke (2:01.90) and was second in the 100 breaststroke (57.21) … Won the “C” final of the 200 breaststroke in his first SEC Championships’ appearance … Shattered his own career-high time and posted the seventh-fastest mark in school history with a prelim clocking of 2:01.90 in that event … Earned his fourth varsity letter.

JUNIOR SEASON (2004-05)
Proved to a solid breaststroke swimmer for the third straight season, while entering LSU’s all-time top 10 in the 200 breaststroke … Swam well at the SEC Championships along with teammate Christian Clausen … Qualified for the finals of the 200 breast with a career-fast time of 2:02.86 in the prelims … The clocking registered as the ninth-best mark in school history … Finished 15th in the SEC finals of the 200 breast (2:03.64) … Nearly advanced to the SEC finals of the 100 breast with a prelim time of 58.60 to finish 18th … Also swam the third-fastest time of the season in the 200 IM, 1:56.91, at SECs … Placed 27th in the 200 IM at SECs … Earned his third varsity letter.

SOPHOMORE SEASON (2003-04)
Had an outstanding year, setting two personal-best times in both breaststroke events … Placed 20th in the 100 breast finals at the SEC Championships with a personal-best time of 58.02 … Qualified for the finals of the 200 breast as well with a preliminary time of 2:04.84 … Improved in the 200 breast finals, setting another personal-best time, while finishing 15th (2:03.95) … Was LSU’s second-highest finisher in the 200 IM, placing 34th in the prelims (1:57.86) … Earned second varsity letter.

FRESHMAN SEASON (2001-02)
A consistent breaststroke swimmer in his freshman season … Swam in every meet of the season and his first SEC Championships … Owned the fastest time of the year in the 200 breaststroke, 2:05.42, in a 17th-place finish at the SEC Championships … Finished 22nd in the 100 breast at SECs with a time of 58.93, the third-fastest time of the year by any Tiger … Also competed in the IM throughout the year, including the SEC Championships, finishing 29th in the 200 IM (1:56.16) … Named “Most Improved Swimmer” at the annual awards banquet … Earned first varsity letter.

PRIOR TO LSU
Attended Rayville High School and lettered each year there … Also played tennis and ran track … Coached by John Pittington … Class Valedictorian as he had a 4.0 GPA … Received the DAR “Good Citizen Award” … State champion in both the 100 breaststroke and 200 IM his senior season … Was an All-American in the 100 breast … Attended Junior Nationals in the event.

PERSONAL
Born Nov. 23, 1983, in Monroe, La. … Parents are William and Ruthie Coenen … Has five brothers and sisters … Majoring in chemical engineering.

MATT’S TOP TIMES
100 breaststroke    57.21  2006 SEC Championships
200 breaststroke    2:01.90  2006 SEC Championships
200 individual medley   1:56.16  2003 SEC Championships

Full Bio