Matt Harder joined the UC Santa Barbara coaching staff on August 4, 2025. The 2026-27 season marks his second year as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for the Gauchos.
During his first season at UC Santa Barbara, Harder helped lead the Gauchos to a strong performance at the 2026 Big West Championships, highlighted by two Big West Championship Records in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays, as well as six school records. He also helped guide Samantha Banos to a 19th-place finish in the 200 butterfly at the 2026 NCAA Division I Championships, making her UC Santa Barbara’s first women’s NCAA qualifier since 2010 and the program’s first NCAA qualifier since 2019. In addition, Harder helped prepare Banos for international competition as she represented Colombia while training with the Gauchos.
Before joining UC Santa Barbara, Harder served as an Assistant Coach at the University of Chicago, one of the premier Division III programs in the United States. During his two seasons in Chicago, the men’s team finished third at the NCAA Division III Championships in both seasons, while the women’s team placed eighth in 2024 and seventh in 2025. In total, the Maroons earned 33 NCAA All-American honors, while setting six NCAA Records and 29 school records.
At the 2025 NCAA Division III Championships, Harder helped guide Cooper Costello to an NCAA title in the 100 butterfly, where Costello became the first Division III swimmer to break the 46-second barrier with a time of 45.97. Chicago also swept the 200, 400, and 800 freestyle relays, with the 800 freestyle relay tying the NCAA record in a time of 6:26.98.
Leading into the end of the Olympic Quad, Harder assisted in training Jesse Ssengonzi, who represented Uganda at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Earlier that spring, Ssengonzi captured the NCAA Division III title in the 100 fly in 46.28, setting what was then an NCAA record.
In addition to his collegiate coaching duties, Harder served as the Head Senior Coach for RISE Aquatic Club, where he was a member of the inaugural coaching staff in 2022. Harder oversaw the club’s National Group and helped develop multiple Illinois state champions and championship relays, individual state record holders, Winter and Summer Junior National qualifiers, and U.S. Open qualifiers. During his tenure, RISE Aquatic Club earned its first two Bronze Medal statuses in USA Swimming’s Club Excellence Program for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. In his final season, RISE Aquatic Club won the 2025 Illinois LCM State Championships, earning the top men’s, women’s, and overall team titles.
While at RISE, Harder was selected to four Team Illinois coaching staffs for the Central Zone Championships, including serving as Head Coach in 2023 and 2024. He was also selected as an Assistant Coach for USA Swimming’s Central Zone Select Camp in 2022 and 2023, as well as an Assistant Manager for the Select Camp in 2025. Â
Before entering collegiate coaching, Harder also worked as a middle and high school Physical Education teacher. Harder earned his Bachelor of Science degree in K-12 Physical Education from Concordia University Chicago and is currently completing a Master of Science degree in Sport Management with a concentration in High Performance Coaching from the University of Florida.Â
