Humphreys named NCAA Silver Anniversary Award honoree
1/10/2022 12:00:00 PM | General, Women's Swim and Dive, Men's Swim and Dive
Former swimming standout becomes first Banana Slug to win the prestigious award
FULL NCAA RELEASE
INDIANAPOLIS- Former UC Santa Cruz swimming standout Matt Humphreys has been awarded the Silver Anniversary Award from the NCAA.
The award dates back to 1973 and recognizes former student athletes on the 25th anniversary of their college athletics careers for their collegiate and professional achievements, as well as their civic contributions. Humphreys becomes the first UC Santa Cruz graduate to earn the prestigious award, which is presented to six individuals annually. He will receive the award at next week's NCAA Convention.
Humphreys originally came to UC Santa Cruz for Water Polo before making the transition to the swim team. During his career, he earned All-American honors an impressive nineteen times. He won the 1996 NCAA Title in the 200 individual medley, an event he still holds the UC Santa Cruz record in. This was the first individual national title in school history.
"Matt was an amazing athlete," said Mickey Wender, the swim coach at UC Santa Cruz from 1992-1998. "He left an indelible mark on me and on the program. He was tough, selfless and had no ego, but in coaching him it was challenging him to find out how tough and good he was.
"The national championship-that wasn't important. He was always about testing his limits and exploring his potential. He is someone that after 30 years as a college coach, I think about a lot."Â
Current UC Santa Cruz coach Matt Crawford added "we're tremendously proud to have an alum whose accomplishments as a Slug and after his time after UCSC are so impressive. Matt gives current Slugs a strong identity and something to aspire to. I want to extend a big congratulations to him on behalf of the entire Slug community."
After graduating from UC Santa Cruz, Humphreys became an officer in the United States Navy as well as a medical doctor after attending the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, Maryland. He is dual board certified in Preventive Medicine and Occupational Medicine and is currently serving active duty holding the rank of Commander. For his Naval service, he has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal and Navy Commendation Medal.
