By the time he reached the NCAA Division III meet in 1999, Matt Zelen '99 was used to being on the podium.
After all, the then-Johnnie senior swimmer had already earned All-American distinction at nationals six times as a freshman, sophomore and junior.
That included a second-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle in 1996 and fourth-place finishes in both the 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly in 1998.
The top spot, though, had always eluded him. But it wouldn't much longer.
In his very first race at nationals in 1999, Zelen claimed first place in the 50-yard freestyle, becoming just the second national champion in program history.
His time of 20.03 seconds – recorded in preliminary competition in the event – still stands as a school record today.
"That was such a big moment," Zelen said. "It really felt like the culmination of my whole career at Saint John's."
Zelen also finished second in the 100-yard butterfly and third in the 100-yard freestyle that year, giving him a total of nine All-American performances at nationals. That went along with 13 MIAC titles in individual events and relays as well as four other second-place finishes at the conference meet.
He remains the school record holder in three events – the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly.
"I remember being in my kitchen on the phone with him when he said he was coming to Saint John's, and just letting out a huge YEAAAAAAHHHHHH when he told me," remembers Pat Haws '72, the swim coach at Saint John's from 1973-98.
"I had to say 'Sorry Matt, but can you tell I'm excited.' I knew he was a really good swimmer. I don't know if I knew he'd be as good as he ended up being. But I knew he was something special."
Zelen went on to compete at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials following his graduation in 1999. But despite all his accolades and accomplishments, his swimming career may be best remembered for a race that took place at the Saint John's Invitational in January of 1998.
The then-junior dove off the starting blocks in the championship heat of the 100-yard butterfly, only to feel the water force his Speedo off, leaving him … well … skinny dipping in front of a big crowd that included his grandmother.
He swam on au naturel, winning the race against all-Division II competition. But he was disqualified for a uniform violation.
Or more accurately for a lack of one.
His story ended up going viral before that was even a thing.
"A reporter for the St. Cloud Times wrote a story and it went out on the AP wire," he said. "All of a sudden, I started getting calls from radio stations in Cleveland, New York, Chicago and Portland. All sorts of national media wanted to talk to me."
The story even attracted the attention of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, which booked Zelen as a guest later that month.
"That was fun," he remembers. "They flew my brother and I out to Hollywood. We got to meet (actors) Dijimon Hounsou and Yasmine Bleeth, who were the other guests on the show. We had a blast hanging out in the Green Room and meeting Jay Leno.
"And I remember my friends from Saint John's made a road trip out there just to be in the audience and show support. We all had a great time."
That kind of camaraderie is what drew Zelen to SJU in the first place. After a successful high school career at Duluth East, he had numerous scholarship offers – including from such schools as Alabama, Minnesota and North Dakota.
But he liked the atmosphere he experienced in Collegeville.
"Alabama has a great program and I knew the coach," he said. "And North Dakota would have given me the chance to swim with my brother again. But I knew right away when I walked on the campus at Saint John's that it was the right fit for me.
"I could tell that this was going to be a place where I could thrive."
Zelen gave up competitive swimming after the Olympic Trials in 2000, throwing himself into what has been a successful career in the digital sphere.
He is currently the Chief Operations Officer at AppZen, a software platform that helps businesses detect fraud or other irregularities in items like contracts and expense reports.
He and his family reside in San Carlos, California, in a home with a deck overlooking San Francisco Bay.
And he credits his time as a student and swimmer at Saint John's with helping make it all possible.
"Saint John's was such a good place to grow as a person in a real community atmosphere," he said. "It's where I gained the confidence that has made a big difference in the years since then."
