Hamilton Southeastern High School, 1997 – 2001
Matt McDonald was a four-time individual champion for Hamilton Southeastern High School. He won the 100-yard butterfly three straight years and held the state record for nine years with a time of 48.06. Matt also added the 100-yard backstroke title his senior year. Adding one more title to make a total of five, he was part of the championship 200-yard medley relay team for Hamilton Southeastern in 2000. In addition, Matt was the recipient of the IHSAA Herman F. Keller Mental Attitude Award in 2001.
Matt went on to swim at Stanford University, where he earned 11 All-American honors. Matt was a two-time NCAA Champion, as part of the winning 200-yard medley relay in 2002 and the 400-yard medley relay in 2005. Matt was honored as the most improved freshman and the most valuable freshman in 2002. He earned the Dave Bottom Team leadership award, and was Pac-10 All-Academic First Team, and awarded the Pac-10 postgraduate scholarship. In addition, Matt served as a Stanford captain in 2005. Matt is currently a photographer in the California area. He is the son of Scott and Arlene McDonald.