Matt Emmert has served as Head Coach of the Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving programs since 2012, and during his tenure, he has continued to guide the Hawks to new heights under his tutelage. Since his arrival, Emmert and his staff have coached 170 NEISDA champions, 58 ECAC qualifiers, and two NCAA Championship provisional qualifiers. He is widely known as one of New England’s top coaches when it comes to individual stroke refinement and efficiency.
In 2020, both the Men’s and Women’s programs claimed the NEISDA Championship, marking the second time in program history that both teams won the NEISDA title in the same year. In the process, he coached 39 NEISDA Champions and was honored as NEISDA Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year. In addition, he helped the Men’s team secure its second-best finish ever at the ECAC Championship.
In 2019, the Men’s team enjoyed one of its best years in program history, accomplishing its first undefeated season in dual meet competition at 7-0. The team claimed their third straight NEISDA Championship while the Women’s team earned a runner-up finish at the championship. At the championship, both programs combined for 12 new school records with 18 men and 14 women receiving All-NEISDA honors including major award winners in the NEISDA Senior High Point Swimmer of the Meet and the NEISDA Senior High Point Diver of the Meet. In addition, Emmert was honored as NEISDA Men’s Swim Coach of the Year.
In 2017, the Women’s Swimming & Diving team took home its second consecutive NEISDA Championship. The Hawks also won Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship for the second straight year, with 14 swimmers earning All-NEISDA honors and eight New England Champions, including senior Andrea Almandoz setting a new NEISDA record in the 100 Yard IM. The Men’s Swimming & Diving team also won its second straight CCC Championship. Most notably, the Hawks won the NEISDA Championship for the first time in school history while Emmert was recognized as NEISDA Men’s Swim Coach of the Year. Fifteen swimmers earned All-NEISDA honors while six swimmers were New England champions in their races.
In 2016, the Men's program finished in second place at the New England Intercollegiate Swimming & Diving Association Championships, tying the best finish in school history. The Women’s team completed arguably the best season in the history of the program. Over the course of the season, the team set 11 varsity records while qualifying five swimmers for the ECAC Championship as well as two provisional NCAA qualifiers. In addition, the team won the New England Swimming & Diving Association Championship for the first time in school history. Most notably at the NEISDA Championship, Mackenzie Webber qualified for the NCAA Championship, making her the first swimmer in Roger Williams history—male or female—to participate in the NCAA Championship. In addition to the Hawks’ strong performance in the pool, the team is also as strong in the classroom, having been honored on the College Swimming Coaches Association of America Scholar All-American Team for the eighth consecutive semester.
Emmert came to Roger Williams by way of Division I University of Maryland, where he spent the 2011-12 season as an assistant coach, primarily training with the distance swimmers. While at Maryland, he helped guide the women’s team to a #19 national ranking during the year, while qualifying four swimmers for the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming Championships.
Prior to Maryland, Emmert spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Division I Texas Christian University. He was part of a coaching staff that led the Horned Frogs to their sole 2011 Mountain West Conference Champion in the Women’s 100 Yard Freestyle. In addition, he helped lead the men’s team to the 2010 Mountain West regular season championship via the program’s only undefeated season with a 7-0 dual meet record.
Emmert also has three years of experience as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Rhode Island, where he planned and implemented training for the Butterfly and Backstroke events. In addition, Emmert spent time coaching the North Kingstown High School girls program, where he coached 2008 USA Olympic Team Member, Elizabeth Beisel. Over the course of his coaching career, Emmert has had 14 USA Olympic Team Trials Qualifiers and 32 USA Swimming Senior National Qualifiers, in addition to 23 all-conference swimmers.
Emmert is a 2004 graduate of URI, where he was a four-year letterwinner and served as team co-captain in his senior year. He earned the URI Coaches' Award in 2002 and was named Team MVP in 2004. He also set the Rams' school record in the 200 Yard Freestyle during his time at URI. In addition, Emmert holds a Master's Degree in Liberal Arts from TCU.
Matt and his wife Jillian reside in Middletown with their two daughters and two dogs.
