A swimming life: Hudson coach Matt Davis prepares for what's next after reaching 300 wins
Matt Davis takes to chlorinated water like, well, a fish to water.
Hudson swimming has benefited from that relationship for decades.
Entering his 18th season as head coach, Davis has turned Hudson High School swimming into a consistent state power. The Explorers recently saw their coach reach a huge milestone.
Davis earned his 300th career dual meet win Dec. 1 when the Explorers defeated Brecksville.
Davis remained humble about reaching the milestone.
"I think about what (Browns quarterback) Joe Flacco said after he found out he won his 100th career win," Davis said. "He said he was sure he'd think about more later, but for now, it's just one more game. Our goal is just to continue to get better. We kind of just do our deal and keep working."
Davis admits he still gets nervous as the start of every season, knowing the standard Hudson has set.
"When I got hired 18 years ago, I was just happy to be here," Davis said. "It's a good district and a good program that I always looked up to. I still remember seeing the records here and thinking, 'Wow, these are fast. How are we going to break any of them?'"
Hudson has rewritten those records under Davis.
Leading the Explorer girls to 10 district titles in the last 12 years and third place at the state meet in 2018 and 2019.
Guiding the Hudson boys to district titles five times since 2013.
Coaching four individual state champions in Alex Obendorf, Ross Palazzo, Jay Johnson and Paige McCormick.
"It's kind of surreal seeing all the kids up there that I've coached," Davis said. "It's been a fun ride. I've been blessed with a lot of great kids who work hard. I've been blessed with a lot of great coaches, especially at the high school level."
One of those coaches is Mal Martin, who has served as an assistant for 13 years. Martin said Davis' dedication to the sport and his athletes are his biggest assets.
"He's a great leader," Martin said. "With the team atmosphere, he's got the kids' best interest at heart, no matter what he does. He set's a great example for the coaching staff because he's super dedicated.
"He's pretty transparent," she added. "I hope the kids know that he's super passionate. He really does want them to be successful. I think the kids can see that when the alumni come back."
Stow swimming coach Ryan Miller, who swam for Davis at Cuyahoga Falls, said Davis has been a beacon for swimming in Summit County.
"When I started coaching at Tallmadge, he was someone I always looked up to, because he had such a great program," Miller said. "It's been nothing but respect for him. He's a great coach and always puts the athletes first. You can always count on him to put the sport of swimming first."
Hudson swimming coach Matt Davis reflects on a lifetime spent in the pool
Davis is swimming lifer.
"My parents pushed me to swim since I was 7 at [Silver Lake] country club," he said. "Since then, I've always been around the pool."
A graduate of Stow-Munroe Falls High School and Hiram College, Davis serves as director of aquatics for Hudson City Schools. That puts him in charge of Ada Cooper Miller Natatorium at East Woods Elementary, which was renovated in 2020.
"It's pretty much swimming all the time," Davis said. "I think if you look at the most successful programs in Ohio, they have their own club teams and they have access to their own pool. That make things a little bit more efficient."
Davis also is head coach of the Hudson Explorers Aquatic Team. HEAT is a USA Swimming youth club that has been Hudson's primary feeder program for 25 years.
"[HEAT is] one of the biggest reasons we've been able to have success for a long time," Davis said. "Having kids that come in who want to swim and they know the strokes … we're getting kids from being a pretty good swimmer to being a better swimmer at high school."
Hudson senior Alex Gallagher is a HEAT alum who will swim in college next season at Kentucky. He said Davis has been a huge part of his growth.
"Whether I've asked for it or not, Matt's always help me along the way," Gallagher said. "Whether its been technique-wise, training-wise or just as a person and not a swimmer, it's been big for me the last five or six years."
Looking back on his time at Hudson, Davis said he remembers the girls' 2011 district championship as a key moment.
"We were big rivals with Solon at the time," he said. "It was our goal that year. That was something that was really special to get to that point. To be that as our standard says a lot about our program."
Davis plans on keeping that standard high at Hudson for years to come. He said he would like to coach his 2-year-old son Parker as he comes up to high school.
"I want to be here until I retire," Davis said. "I want to be here as long as I can."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Hudson High School swim coach Matt Davis reaches 300 dual meet wins
