Mate Kovacs

Position:
Sprint Free
Class:
Sophomore
Hometown:
Mishawaka, Ind.
High School:
Penn High School

Senior: In his final season as a Cardinal, Kovacs continued to provide depth to the Louisville sprint squad, qualifying for finals in the 100 free with a time of 43.59 and helping the Cards to a bronze medal in the 200 free relay at the ACC Championships. He also tallied a number of top performances in the 50 free throughout the year, highlighted by a second place finish at the Boiler-Make-It Invitational with a time of 19.94. At the IU Invitational, he recorded a 13th place finish in the 50 free (20.02) and 15th place finish in the 100 free (44.19). Throughout the dual meet season, Kovacs was a consistent individual and relay point scorer for the Cards, highlighted by a victory in the 50 free against Northwestern on Senior Day. For his efforts in the classroom, he was named to the All-ACC Academic Team.

Junior: Kovacs put together a strong season for the Cardinals, swimming primarily in the sprint freestyle events. He qualified for the NCAA Championships in both the 200 free and 400 free relays, helping the Cards to 15th place finishes in both events and breaking the school record in the 200 free relay. At the ACC Championships, he qualified for the consolation finals in the 50 free, touching the wall in 16th with a time of 19.96. He also competed in both the 100 free (43.81), 200 free (1:37.67) and split a 19.56 in the Cardinals’ bronze-medal-winning 200 free relay. At the Winter National Championships, Kovacs qualified for finals in both the 50 free (20.34) and 100 free (44.90). He also competed at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Atlanta, swimming the 100-meter free (53.52), 200-meter free (2:00.41) and 50-meter free (24.65). Kovacs tallied a number of top finishes for the Cardinals throughout the dual meet season, placing second in the 50 free and third in the 100 free in the win over Kentucky, as well as leading off the winning 400 free relay.

Sophomore: In his second season as a Cardinal, Mate continued on his upward trajectory, scoring 69 points at the UofL Invitational. He finished fifth in the 50 free (20.29), sixth in the 100 free (45.09), and ninth in the 200 free (1:40.20). At the Ohio State Winter Invite, he placed fifth in the 50 free and ninth in the 100 free, while also helping the Cardinals to victories in both the 200 and 400 free relays. He also competed at the Atlanta Arena Pro Swim Series, swimming the 50, 100, and 200-meter free.

Freshman: Mate was a part of the Cardinal sprint corps and showed steady improvement throughout his freshman campaign, particularly in the 50-free, including a third place finish at rival Kentucky with a 21.30. At the Arena Pro Series in Indy, he finaled in the 100-meter free with a 52.26 and a 22nd place.

Prep: Matyi (Mate) Kovacs came to Louisville from Mishawaka, Indiana. A product of Coach Jess Preston of Penn High School and PRO Swimming, Kovacs was the 2014 Indiana High School Runner-up in the 50 yard freestyle and an All-American in that event. He was a member of the state championship 200-free relay team as lead off swimmer. He set multiple school records during his prep career. An Honor Student at Penn High School, Kovacs is both a USA Swimming Winter and Summer Nationals qualifier. His best times are 20.46 in the 50-free and 45.34 in the 100-free.

Personal: Son of Judit and Istvan Kovacs. Born Nov. 7, 1996. Major is business.