Matoso Named NACDA Athletics Director of the Year (Release)
SMC Completes Sports Performance Center (Video/Release)
Gaels Finish Semester With Record GPA, APR Numbers (Release)
Grateful Gatherings Community Service (Video)
Third Annual Scholar-Athlete Luncheon (Release)
SMC Announces Historic Naming Rights (Release)
Facility Improvements Continue Under Matoso (Release)
Athletics Receives Largest Gift in School History (Release)
Mike Matoso is in his seventh season leading Saint Mary’s College and was elevated to Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics on September 6, 2019. Matoso had served the previous two plus years as Director of Athletics and Recreation after being hired on July 6, 2017.
Matoso has led Saint Mary’s to tremendous success on and off the playing surface in his first six years. Matoso reorganized his senior staff, completed an overhaul of the budget process, and created a development structure to enhance department funding in his time at Saint Mary's.
In the spring of 2022, after five years of comprehensive success leading the Saint Mary’s athletics department, Matoso was named one of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) winners of the Cushman & Wakefield Athletic Director of the Year Award.
Under Matoso, Saint Mary’s has completed several major facility enhancements, including an 18-million-dollar addition and renovation to University Credit Union Pavilion. In the summer of 2023, Matoso led the completion of the 1.5-million-dollar Br. Ronald Gallagher Stadium for baseball and in 2020 the completion of a brand new 2.3-million-dollar strength and conditioning training center.
Other facility improvements during Matoso’s term include a $550,000 renovation of Kenney Family Pub inside UCU Pavilion in 2023, the completion of a $725,000 indoor hitting facility at the baseball complex in January of 2020, and a second on-campus beach volleyball court adjacent to the existing court. During the summer of 2021, a new softball scoreboard was installed, a $500,000 renovation of the sports medicine facility was completed and a plaza in front of UCU Pavilion was built.
In 2020, Matoso secured the school’s first naming right’s agreement, renaming the University Credit Union Pavilion. The 10-year agreement is the first all campus sponsorship of its kind, marking a landmark deal for any West Coast Conference institution.
With Matoso leading the charge, Men’s Basketball has continued its winning ways. Over the past six seasons, men’s basketball has a 142-52 overall record, won the WCC Championship twice, have made four NCAA Tournament appearances, including back-to-back five-seeds in 2022 and 2023 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in consecutive years. In 2023, men’s basketball finished with its highest KenPom ranking in school history.
Following the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years, Matoso set fundraising and external revenue records in each year. Under Matoso, fundraising and revenue generation has grown in each of his six years leading the Gaels, including the revamped Galloping Gaels Fund. Prior to the 2023-24 basketball season, Saint Mary’s sold out of season tickets for the first time in school history.
During a pandemic year in 2021, Matoso brought in a record 2.3-million-dollars in annual fundraising. In 2020, Matoso secured the largest contribution to benefit student-athletes in the history of Saint Mary's Athletics, a $3 million gift from the Kalmanovitz Charitable Foundation. Matoso has exceeded revenue goals in all six years leading the college, including record breaking numbers in basketball ticket sales.
In the summer of 2021, Matoso renegotiated a department-wide Under Armour agreement to remain the College’s official outfitter for the next five years. Matoso continued his fundraising efforts for facilities by securing a 1-million-dollar gift from Marilyn J. Bohl to finish the funding for the baseball stadium.
Outside of the department, Matoso continued his effort to give back to the surrounding community and implemented the first grateful gatherings community service project, encompassing both athletic staff and student-athletes.
In 2022-23, Matoso led the Gaels to a school record department GPA, including all 18 teams with over a 3.0 GPA for the first time in program history. Saint Mary’s also had the College’s valedictorian for the 2023 graduating class. Overall the Gaels had a school record 229 student-athletes on the WCC Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
In 2020-21, Matoso led the Gaels to a school-record in APR scores. Saint Mary’s had 11 teams reach a perfect APR score during the year.
Under Matoso during the 2018-19 season, the Gaels had a national Coach of the Year in men’s soccer head coach Adam Cooper; four NCAA appearances, including men's basketball after winning the West Coast Conference tournament; and 156 student-athletes named to the WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll, an 8-percent increase over previous years.
During the 2017-18 season, Matoso launched the inaugural President's Scholar-Athlete Luncheon, recognizing over 70 student-athletes with a GPA of 3.25 or higher. A total of 144 Saint Mary’s student-athletes made the 2017-18 WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll for maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or higher during the school year.
Matoso is a member of the NACDA I-AAA Executive Committee and a member of the I-AAA mentoring committee. Matoso is the West Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Coaches liaison, sits on the WCC Basketball Operations Cabinet, a member of WCC Membership Committee and sits on the Saint Mary’s President’s Cabinet.
Matoso joined Saint Mary's after serving as the Director of Athletics at Stanislaus State for five years. Prior to Stanislaus, Matoso was the Senior Associate Director of Athletics at the University of San Diego for 13 years.
While at Stanislaus State, Matoso led the Warriors to unprecedented success since becoming a Division II institution. After 27 years in Division II, Stanislaus State had its best finishes in the CCAA Commissioner's Cup history under Matoso's direction. The Warriors' success continued with 23 individual CCAA champions, 107 student-athletes named All-Region, 9 Academic All-Americans, 19 All-Region Academic Team members, 2 West Region Players of the Year, and 3 West Region Coaches of the Year.
Under Matoso at Stanislaus State, facility renovations were abundant. The Ed and Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena, Warrior Park, Softball Stadium, Warrior Stadium, Golf short range facility, athletic administration offices, team locker rooms for men's and women's basketball, volleyball, softball, track and field have all seen major improvements, capping a sum total of more than $6.5 million in facility upgrades since his arrival. Private giving increased dramatically since Matoso arrived at Stanislaus and in turn made many of the improvements possible.
Warrior student-athletes excelled in the classroom and in the community under Matoso. In the community, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee led conference efforts in both the annual can drive and Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Prior to Stanislaus State, Matoso was responsible for the daily operations of USD's intercollegiate athletic programs with 17 NCAA Division I teams and 450 student-athletes. He oversaw all athletic facilities, including minor capital projects and capital improvements. He played a key role in developing and planning Fowler Park, a 14-million-dollar baseball facility, which was ranked by Baseball America as one of the top five collegiate facilities in the country. Matoso was pivotal to USD's success in capturing the prestigious WCC Commissioner's Cup trophy for five consecutive years.
Before his 13-year experience in building USD's athletic department, Matoso spent the previous four years at the University of Southern California as the football and baseball academic advisor. Prior to USC, he served as the academic advisor to all 18 teams at Cal Poly.
Matoso is a California native. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education (1993) from Cal Poly and earned his Masters of Arts in Education and Counseling (1995) from Cal Poly with academic honors. He was selected as the only representative from USC to attend the prestigious Sports Management Institute program at the University of Notre Dame and University of South Carolina (1998). He was a pitcher for Cal Poly and participated in the Division II College World Series.
Mike and his wife Kelly have three children, Abby (a Saint Mary’s Alum), Cole, and Brody.
