SARASOTA (SNN-TV) – For September’s Student-Athlete of the Month, presented by Carl Reynolds Law, SNN has chosen a heralded star here on the Suncoast, one who has conquered and overcame trials en route to her triumph.
“You know, this time last year I was in the hospital for something very serious and I thought, you know I’d never be able to be where I was. So a year later, being able to have a gold medal at Pan-Pacs and being Student-Athlete of the Month, it’s incredible.”
This time last year, just one month prior to her Olympic trials, Cardinal Mooney senior, swimmer Michaela Mattes was hospitalized with a pleural effusion. A pleural effusion is accumulation of excessive fluid in the space that surrounds each lung, found commonly in younger swimmers, yet is detrimental to their training. Mattes, however, powered through the odds, as she was back swimming again in two weeks and able to compete in the Olympic Trials. The excitement to get back t the spot she loved powered her motivation, knowing she had a chance to win as long as she was in the pool.
“I think the big thing is, if you have a lane, you have a chance. So it could be any person’s race. I think that’s what’s most exciting about it; probably that other than distance with [Katie] Ledecky, anyone can win it. As long as you have a lane, you have a chance.”
And if Mattes is in the pool, she has more than a chance, as she’s a likely favorite to win. Having dominated both at Cardinal Mooney and with the Sarasota Sharks, Mattes committed to swimming at the next level, at the University of Florida next year. While the action of choosing a school was arduous, the decision was easy to become a Gator.
“You know, it was a long process last year having to go through all the recruiting. But, after I took all my visits, just being at Florida just felt like home. Everything felt right, the coaches, the girls, juts everything felt right, it felt like home.”
With high school success and her collegiate commitment in the bag, there’s only one other achievement swimmers relish, to compete for their country, and Mattes did that and more. Representing the United States, Mattes won gold in the 1,500 meter freestyle and bronze in the 800 meter freestyle at the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Championships, held last month in Honolulu. The trip to Hawaii and winning for her country was an experience Mattes will not soon forget.
“Being able to represent the stars and stripes is just, amazing. There’s nothing that can replace that opportunity of getting some amazing, fast swimmers. It was just awesome being able to get the gold and make all my teammates proud, especially everyone for Team USA. It was just, incredible.”
With the Pan-Pacs victory under her belt, and the Olympics in sight, Mattes is also educationally elite. Mattes holds a 3.9 GPA and plans to become a lawyer.