Bio

Matthew Kinney has been named the University Athletic Association Coach of the Year for men's swimming and diving four times during his 17-year tenure as head swimming and diving coach of the Tartans. His most recent honor came in 2024 after a youthful squad placed fourth at the championship meet.

The Tartans have placed second at the UAA Championships five times under Kinney while they've set 18 of 21 school records and competed at the NCAA Championships 14 times.

Ten swimmers recorded the highest NCAA finish under Kinney in 2024, as the unit placed eighth with nine members earning All-America or All-America Second Team distinction. Once again, all five relays placed in the top 16 with two earning trophies for their fifth and sixth-place finishes. Additionally, freshman Brayden Morford earned three individual All-America awards after placing second, third, and seventh in his three events. 

Recent championships history:

• Seven swimmers and two divers recorded an 11th-place finish in 2023 behind 100 points. All five relays placed in the top 16 for the first time since 2004, with two placing in the top eight. 
• 10 swimmers and one diver competed at the 2022 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships earning points in 10 events to place 14th; with eight school records set
• A school record 13 men were set to compete in 2020 before the meet was canceled. The 13 invited swimmers and divers were awarded a combined 27 All-America awards including four relays. 
• In 2019, eight representatives earned a 16th-place finish at the national championship meet. Two sophomores each earned two All-America awards while the 800-yard freestyle relay and 400-yard medley relay earned the same distinction.
• One swimmer and one diver competed at the 2018 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships with one All-America honor awarded.
• The 2017 season saw the team finish 19th at the NCAA Championships with one swimmer and one diver earning four All-America honors.

In Kinney’s third year with the program, the 2010 team took seven athletes to the NCAA Championships where all seven athletes earned All-America or All-America Honorable Mention honors. Five of those athletes earned their first-ever award as the team finished 15th in the nation.

Overall, Kinney has mentored 42 Carnegie Mellon male athletes to 152 All-America honors and 34 women to 91 All-America honors while he and his assistants were named UAA Men’s Coaching Staff of the Year in 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2024.

Kinney is a big proponent of academics as his teams have earned Scholar All-America recognition in each of his 17 seasons. Additionally, nine times a women's athlete has been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Team, while a male has earned the honor seven times during Kinney’s tenure.

Prior to the 2007-2008 season, Kinney spent 12 years as the head men's and women's swimming coach at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Throughout his 12-year tenure as head coach at Mary Washington, Kinney led the men's and women's teams to an impressive combined dual mark of 182-59 and a total of 22 combined Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) titles, including 12 straight for the women’s program. During Mary Washington’s conference title run he was named CAC Coach of the Year 12 times, seven with the women's program and five with the men. Kinney has brought tremendous coaching experience to Carnegie Mellon University, as he coached 88 All-America performers at UMW.

A native of Canton, Ohio, Kinney is a 1993 graduate of Kenyon College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. While a student-athlete at Kenyon he was a three-time All-America athlete for the Lords and was part of three NCAA Division III National Championship teams. He was also selected captain his senior season. Following his undergraduate work, Kinney went on to Western Illinois University, where he earned a Master of Science degree in sports management while assisting with the swimming program.