Matt Cetlinski

Matt Cetlinski

Personal information
Full name	Matthew J. Cetlinski
Nickname	"Matt"
National team	United States
Born	(1964-10-04) October 4, 1964 (age 59) Lake Worth, Florida
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	161 lb (73 kg)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle
Club	Wellington Swim Club
College team	University of Florida
Medal record Men's swimming Representing the United States Olympic Games 1988 Seoul 4x200 m freestyle relay Pan Pacific Championships 1987 Brisbane 400 m freestyle 1987 Brisbane 4x200 m freestyle Pan American Games 1983 Caracas 400 m freestyle

Matthew J. Cetlinski (born October 4, 1964) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder.

Cetlinski was born in Lake Worth, Florida. He attended Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, Florida. ^[1] As a junior swimmer, he trained with the Wellington Wahoos Swim Club in nearby Wellington, Florida.

Cetlinski accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he swam for coach Randy Reese's Florida Gators swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Southeastern Conference (SEC) competition from 1983 to 1986. ^{[2] [3]} He was a member of the Gators' 1983 and 1984 NCAA men's championship teams, as well as four consecutive SEC championships teams. ^[2] As Gator swimmer, he won the NCAA championship in the 500-yard freestyle event in 1986 and received eight All-American honors over the course of his collegiate career. ^[2] Cetlinski graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in religion in 1987, ^[4] and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1997. ^{[5] [6]}

Cetlinski won a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, where he was a member of the first-place U.S. team in the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay, together with teammates Troy Dalbey, Doug Gjertsen and Matt Biondi who swam in the final, as well as Craig Oppel and Dan Jorgensen who swam in the qualifying heats of the event. The Americans set a new world record of 7:12.51 in the event final. Individually, Cetlinski also placed fourth in the men's 400-meter freestyle (3:48.09) and the men's 1,500-meter freestyle (15:06.42).

Cetlinski now works as an acupuncturist in Gainesville, Florida. ^[7]

See also

• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
• List of University of Florida alumni
• List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members
• List of University of Florida Olympians
• World record progression 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay

References

1. "Cetlinski Nominated for Amateur Award," The Palm Beach Post, p. D7 (January 12, 1984). Retrieved July 23, 2011.
2. Florida Swimming & Diving 2014–15 Media Supplement Archived 2015-02-18 at the Wayback Machine , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 76, 78, 79, 83, 87, 90, 94, 96, 97, 100 (2014). Retrieved March 3, 2015.
3. Mike Bianchi, "UF still harvesting bumper crop of 1983," The Gainesville Sun, p. 1D (March 27, 1985). Retrieved March 3, 2015.
4. University of Florida Alumni Directory, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (2000).
5. F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
6. "Eight Join UF Hall of Fame," The Gainesville Sun, p. 2C (April 4, 1997). Retrieved July 23, 2011.
7. Sharon Robb, "Swimming & Diving: Bolles continues state domination," The Gainesville Sun, p. 13C (November 5, 2006). Retrieved March 3, 2015.

External links

• Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Matt Cetlinski". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.