Monmouth University Athletics

Coach Nunnally can be reached at 732-263-5175, or by email at mnunnall@monmouth.edu

Monmouth County native Matt Nunnally, who has coached at the Division I level for more than 20 years, was appointed the head coach of the reintroduced men's and women's swimming programs at Monmouth University prior to the 2015-16 season. 

In November of 2014, then-Monmouth Vice President and Director of Athletics Dr. Marilyn McNeil, after consulting with the University’s Trustees, announced that the men’s and women’s swimming programs would be reintroduced as NCAA Division I sports at the school.

The 2022-23 season will be Nunnally's ninth year in charge of the Monmouth swimming programs and the first as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. 

During Monmouth's time in the MAAC, Nunnally oversaw continued improvement at the league championship meets throughout his tenure and in 2022, both team finishes marked the highest ever position for the Hawks at the MAAC Championships. The men's team placed fifth for the second time with 383 points, eight points better than 2020, while the women's team took fifth overall with 442.5 points, nearly 70 points more than two years prior.

Monmouth won a program record eight individual gold medals and had a number of individual standouts at the 2022 MAAC Championships Callan Smith was named Most Outstanding Swimmer, while Camryn McHugh and Georgia Watkins shared Co-Most Outstanding Swimmer honors. Watkins also took home the MAAC Rookie of the Meet award after winning the 500 Free, 1650 Free and 200 Fly. McHugh won gold in the 100 Fly, 100 Back and 200 Back and Callan Smith took the 100 Back and 200 Back gold medals. The Hawks also had one relay champion in the women's 200-yard medley relay.

Monmouth had five individual MAAC Champions at the 2020 championships, as the men placed fifth and the women sixth overall. Callan Smith won two events, and Blake Reynolds, Tahlia Botha and Camryn McHugh each secured gold medals for the Hawks. Botha was also named the MAAC Swimming Rookie of the Meet. 

In 2019, Nunnally coached a pair of MAAC Champions as freshmen Callan Smith and Camryn McHugh each became the first individual MAAC Champions in Monmouth history. Smith the MAAC Swimming Rookie of the Meet won the 500-yard freestyle, while McHugh took gold in the 200-yard backstroke.

Both teams have achieved success in the classroom during Nunnally's tenure as they have earned Scholar All-American Team honors from the CSCAA. The recognition is awarded by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) for having a team GPA above 3.0. The women's program has been recognized in eight consecutive semesters and the men have collected the award six straight times. 

A native of Avon by the Sea, Nunnally came to Monmouth after spending 15 seasons as the head coach of the men's and women's swim teams at his alma mater, La Salle University. After a distinguished career as a student-athlete at La Salle, Nunnally returned to his alma mater in 1999 after serving five years as an assistant coach at Seton Hall University.

During the 2008-09 season, Nunnally coached the men's and women's teams to a No. 21 ranking in the Mid-Major Division I polls. Three years prior, during the 2005-06 season, he led the men's team to a No. 25 national ranking in the final polls, climbing as high as number 13. In 2010, the men's team was ranked as high as 12 in the CSCAA Mid-Major Poll. Aside from keeping his teams competitive in the pool, Nunnally has also coached numerous Academic All-America teams while at La Salle.

Since 2010, 30 school records at La Salle and 10 Atlantic 10 champions were crowned under Nunnally's command, while he was named the 2012 Atlantic 10 Women's Coach of the Year. At the 2012 Atlantic 10 Champs, Nunnally produced gold medal winners in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, the 1650, and the men's 200 medley relay which was also an NCAA "B" cut.

Since his graduation from La Salle, Nunnally, a veteran lifeguard at Bradley Beach, captured his third National Lifeguarding Championship high point award in Cape May. His previous titles were captured in San Diego (2000) and Cape May (1999).

As a standout lifeguard, Nunnally has been selected to the U.S. National Team and has competed in the Lifeguarding World Championships in Germany (1992), South Africa (1996) and Sydney, Australia (2000). In 2008, he was again a member of the U.S. National Team and competed at the World Lifeguarding Championships in Italy.

Nunnally, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from La Salle in 1992, was an integral part of the Explorers swim team that won four straight MAAC Conference Team Championships (1989-92). Individually, he captured both the 200-free and 500-free conference titles and was also a member of several MAAC Championship relay teams. Nunnally also earned an MBA from the University of Mississippi in 1993.