Matthew Gearing Named Assistant Coach At Florida State

Courtesy: Florida State Athletics

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.  –  Matthew Gearing has joined the Florida State swimming and diving program as an assistant swimming coach.

Gearing arrives in Tallahassee after one season as an assistant coach at Arkansas-Little Rock. Prior to that role, Gearing spent one year as a volunteer assistant coach at Indiana.

“We’re excited to have Matt on our staff,” FSU head coach Neal Studd said. “He’s worked with some of the best swimmers in the world and as a young coach, that experience is invaluable. He fits well with our staff and team culture, and we’re thrilled to have him.”

While at Arkansas Little-Rock, Gearing helped the program improve drastically, despite dealing with the challenges of COVID-19 during the 2020-21 season.

The Trojans broke six school records and had 17 performances that ranked within the top five in school history.  They scored over 100 points more at the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Championships and placed twice as many Trojans on the podium than 2020.

Gearing help secure one of the top classes in the Missouri Valley Conference and program history for the 2021-22 season, all while abiding by rules of the COVID-19 dead period.

During his stint at Indiana, Gearing was promoted to a full-time assistant in February of 2020 after starting as a volunteer in 2019.

While in Bloomington, Gearing worked with the professional training group that would eventually see seven athletes qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games including Team USA medalists, Lilly King, Blake Pieroni, Zach Apple and Annie Lazor.

He was responsible for generating workouts for the mid-sprint group that included Pieroni, Apple and NCAA medalist Robert Howard.  He was also responsible for tracking volumes and intensity among all training groups for the Hoosiers.

Gearing was a vital asset in on and off campus recruiting, helping the Hoosiers remain among the top 10 in the nation. He also served as the director and coach for the 2019 Indiana Breaststroke camp and 2020 Indiana Freestyle camp.

Gearing graduated from Queens University of Charlotte in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise and Sports Science.  He served as undergraduate volunteer assistant coach during all four seasons, where he was a part of eight NCAA DII team titles between the men’s and women’s programs.

Concurrently, he worked as an assistant for Team Elite Aquatics under head coach, David Marsh who was recently inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2021.

Gearing had a front row seat watching Marsh lead Team USA at the 2016 Rio Olympics, with his six athletes securing gold medals during the Games.

In addition to coaching, Gearing assisted Team Elite with planning of day-to-day training for athletes vying for national and Olympic team spots.

While in Charlotte, Gearing assisted with stroke analysis and handled administrative and operations duties for both teams.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity that Neal Studd has provided me with working at such a great program like Florida State,” Gearing said.  “Throughout the interview process I really got a sense of the family atmosphere FSU and the program have created in Tallahassee.  My wife, being a native of Florida, and I are extremely excited to be getting closer to family especially with the birth of our first child come January.  Can’t wait to see what lies ahead for the Noles and continuing to build upon the success the program has had.  Go Noles!”

A native of Kettering, Ohio, Gearing is married to the former Caroline Condon.

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