Saginaw Valley State University Women's Swimming

Hamstra joined the SVSU Women's Swimming & Diving coaching staff for the program's inaugural 2014-15 season as the team's Assistant Coach. He is entering his third season. Hamstra comes to Saginaw Valley after being the head coach of the West Michigan Swimmers, a USA club in Zeeland, Mich.  He also served as the Assistant Pool Manager for the Swimmers. Prior to serving as the head coach of the Swimmers, Hamstra was the Head Coach and Aquatics Director at Alma College from 2007-2013.  During his time at Alma, the Scots broke 40 school records and had more than 125 all-time top-10 performances.  He coached two Division III All-Americans, five all-conference swimmers and one Conference "Diver of the Year."  He recently had a student-athlete earn individual Academic All-American Honorable Mention honors in 2013.  He stressed academics to his team and his student-athletes were ranked seventh in Women's Team GPA in all of NCAA Division III for the 2009-10 season.  Hamstra also served on the Hall of Fame Committee during his time with the Scots. Hamstra has also served as the Assistant Coach at Hope College (2006-07), where he assisted in coaching multiple all-american student-athletes and guided several student-athletes to national qualifying performances. He is a 2004 graduate of Hope College, where he was an all-american swimmer while getting his bachelor's degree in Accounting.  Chris currently resides in Alma with his wife, Caitlin.  The couple is expecting their first child in early September.

Matter joined the SVSU Swimming & Diving coaching staff as its first-ever Diving Coach. He is entering his third season. Matter, a resident of Saginaw, Mich., has a long list of accomplishments as a distinguished member of the local swimming & diving community dating back 31 years. He was most recently the Varsity Diving Coach at Saginaw Heritage High School and White Pine Middle School, a position that he held from 2002-2013.  Prior to the diving position, he held the title of Boys Varsity Swimming & Diving Coach at Heritage during the years 2002-09 and Girls Varsity Swimming & Diving Coach from 2006-09.   Matter served as the Swimming & Diving Coach at Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central High School for 12 years, along with coaching stints at the Saginaw YMCA (1972-74, 86-94), St. Stephen's High School (1977-81), Bay City Central High School (1975-76), and South Junior High School (1973-74).  Mike has earned numerous honors over the span of his coaching career as well.  He was the 2006 Saginaw Valley Girls and Boys "Coach of the Year."  Matter has been named the MISCA Zone 8 Girls "Coach of the Year" (2006), MISCA Regional "Coach of the Year" (2001, 1999) and coached a 1998 team that was recognized as the MISCA Academic All-State Champion with a team GPA of 3.77. He has coached swimmers to eight individual state championships, one all-american honor, and has had 20 divers who have competed in Sate Finals competition.  He has coached a pair of divers to all-american honors. A graduate of Northern Michigan University, he was a captain of the men's varsity swimming team that he competed on from 1967-71.  He served as an Undergraduate Assistant Coach one season at Northern before graduating with a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education in January of 1972.  Matter was inducted into the Northern Michigan University Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.