Aug 21, 2024 By Eleanor Bailey 5 min read

Kelly and David Schraven cheer on Josh Matheny as the Upper St. Clair High School graduate attempted to qualify for the finals in the 200-meter breaststroke during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Schraven served as Matheny’s head coach in high school as well as when he competed for the Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics swim club.

Swimmer Josh Matheny of Upper St. Clair brought home many souvenirs from the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

One of those tokens now belongs to Dave Schraven. The Mt. Lebanon resident coached Matheny when he attended Upper St. Clair High School and when he trained for the Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics Club based in Scott Township.

The memento was an official Olympic flag featuring the signatures of a dozen members of the U.S. Olympic Swim Team.

According to Schraven, Matheny received three such tokens from U.S. Swimming. One was to be a keepsake for the athlete while the others were to be freely distributed to those most responsible for helping the individual “get” to Paris.

In addition to Schraven, Matheny intended to give the other flag to Ray Looze, the men’s swimming coach at Indiana University, where Matheny will be a senior this fall.

“It’s an honor to receive this,” said Schraven, but noted that there were “a lot of us” responsible for Matheny’s achievement.

Schraven plans to hang the flag in a prominent place at the Upper St. Clair High School pool, where Matheny predominantly swam.

“I want the younger kids to see it and think or say to themselves, ‘Maybe that could be me.’ It will be a good motivational tool,” Schraven said.

When he came out of Stanford University, after helping the Cardinals win a NCAA championship and swimming his best 200-meter individual medley only to finish 20th at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1988, Schraven was not inspired to become a coach. Though he continued to stay in shape by swimming in a masters program, Schraven only started to coach in 2002, when Tom Burchill asked for his help with the Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club.

“I did not intend to be a swim coach,” Schraven said. “It started as a hobby and I stuck to it.

“For anyone who coaches, it’s very fulfilling helping kids achieve goals. Rewarding to watch people perform and see the fruits of their efforts pay off,” he added.

Years of swimming laps at USC that transformed into a plethora of scholastic records and medals as well as WPIAL championships and PIAA state titles, Matheny moved on to become a Big 10 All-American at IU as well as a dominant force at world competitions. In June, he competed in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials and qualified for the 200-meter breaststroke.

“To make the U.S. Olympic team in swimming is really hard to do,” Schraven said. “So everybody is proud of Josh for that (achievement).”

After the Olympic Trials, Matheny embarked on an intensive, four-week training tour with stops in North Carolina and Croatia before the U.S. team would compete in Paris. Those sessions as well as the pool depth of 2.15 meters (7 feet, 6 inches) at the Arena Paris La Défense in Nanterre, France, were “not ideal” for any of the American swimmers, let alone Matheny who was appearing in his first Olympiad, said Schraven.

“There were a lot of factors,” Schraven said. “Croatia was hot. The pool was hot. By the time you even swim, you have been on the road for four weeks. That’s hard to do. There was a lot of talk about the reasons involving all the swimmers at the event and the facility.”

Matheny, however, prevailed. He swam some of his fastest times. His 2:10.39 thrust him into the semifinals where he lowered his mark to 2:09.70 to gain a spot in the finals.

Overall, Matheny clocked a 2:09.52 and finished seventh. Taking the gold medal was France’s Leon Marchand, with a time of 2:05.85.

“The hope was that Josh would make the final. The fact that he did make it was a huge accomplishment. The icing on the cake,” Schraven said. “Going into it, making the final was the primary goal.”

The objective now is the 2028 Olympiad in Los Angeles. Schraven “feels strongly” that LA is a “great opportunity” for Matheny. He finishes up his college eligibility in 2025 and will likely turn pro after that.

Matheny already is sponsored by Mizuno, which designs the swimsuits worn by all the elite male breaststrokers, said Schraven. Plus, Matheny will continue to receive a stipend from USA Swimming, which increases once a college athlete turns pro.

“Josh is in a great position,” Schraven said. “IU picked up good swimmers and they have a real chance of competing for an NCAA championship. Josh will finish up his amateur career on a high note. When you look at his times and the fact he made the Olympic team and reached the finals. Those are huge plusses.

“Josh can become a pro and pursue excellence while focusing just on swimming and not external things. Swimming will be his job.

“I think it’s great he has this opportunity. He has a lot left in the tank,” Schraven said. “I think his performance in Paris will fuel his training. It’s in him to train for 2028 and to go to LA and win medals.”