Head coach Paul Graham of the Cleveland State University men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams announced the addition of Hannah Mattar as an assistant coach Wednesday morning.
Mattar had a highly accomplished career at Ashland, not only as an athlete but also in her numerous other pursuits away from the pool.
“It is with great delight that we announce the hiring of Hannah Mattar,” Graham said. “As a student-athlete and in life, Hannah has a continuous desire to improve herself. That goes hand in hand with what we aspire to do as a program—get better.”
Mattar was a 13-time All-American at Ashland as she qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of her four seasons. She claimed 11 individual All-America honors, including seven of the First Team variety, and two as a member of a relay. Mattar was a three-time First Team All-American in the 200 breaststroke, finishing among the top four nationally on each occasion, and earned the same honor for the 200 IM and 400 IM two times each.
Mattar was named the 2015 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Swimmer of the Year after winning conference titles in three individual events at the League Championships. She claimed six conference titles as an individual in her career and still holds two GLIAC Championship records (200 breaststroke, 400 IM).
Mattar was named an Ashland Student-Athlete of the Year in 2015-16. She currently holds four school records—the 200 butterfly, 200 breaststroke, 200 IM and 400 IM. Her record time is more than five seconds better than the second-best performer in program history in three of those four events.
Mattar was an impeccable student and earned a variety of awards for her work in the classroom. A summa cum laude graduate, she was a two-time Academic All-American. Mattar was also recognized as a CSCAA Scholar All-American and named to the GLIAC Academic Excellence Team three times each. Mattar twice earned the GLIAC Commissioner’s Award, becoming just the third student-athlete in Ashland history to claim the award more than once. The GLIAC Commissioner Awards are given to student-athletes that excel both in the classroom and athletically.
Mattar took on a leadership role as a member of Ashland’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She helped the organization raise over $6,000 for the Make-A-Wish foundation, and, as vice president, attended the GLIAC’s SAAC retreat. She also was a team captain at Ashland and earned the Most Inspirational Team Leader/Captain award at the athletic department’s end-of-year awards banquet.
Mattar is far from the only swimmer in her family, as her brother, Tony, competed collegiately and her sister, Lydia, continues to do so.
A native of Lake Orion, Mich., Mattar earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from Ashland in 2016.
Press Release courtesy of Cleveland State Athletics.
