Matt Borriello is 26 years old and already running one of Sarasota County's most decorated athletic programs.
Riverview High School named Borriello its new athletic director for 2026-27, making him the youngest person in that role across the county. He officially started June 1, succeeding Rod Dragash, who stepped down in May after nine years to spend more time with family.
Every other athletic director in Sarasota County is in their 40s or 50s.
"When this job opened up, I thought I'd be a really good fit," Borriello told the Your Observer. "I know I'm going to work my butt off and it's going to be awesome. I love being able to impact these kids' lives."
The Montgomery, New York, native arrived at Riverview ahead of the 2023-24 school year as a social studies teacher. He quickly embedded himself in the baseball program, starting as a JV assistant before moving to varsity pitching coach in 2025 and then director of baseball operations in 2026 under new head coach Mark Sobolewski. He'll keep that baseball role alongside his AD duties.
Sobolewski praised Borriello's initiative, saying he doesn't have to be asked to help a team, a teacher or anyone else on campus. He called Borriello someone who genuinely cares about students' experience across the whole school.
Championship programs on his watch
Borriello inherits a program stacked with recent hardware. Riverview's girls swimming team captured its fifth consecutive FHSAA Class 4A state championship on Nov. 14, 2025, at Florida Aquatics Swimming and Training in Ocala. NC State signee Taylor Schwenk led the squad with three golds and a silver, including wins in the 100-yard butterfly (54.54) and 200-yard freestyle (1:47.97).
Rising junior Madison Muller won the FHSAA Class 4A girls cross country individual title on Nov. 22, 2025, clocking 17:37.7 in the 5K. She was the only female in 4A to break 18 minutes, winning by more than 20 seconds. Muller was later named Gatorade Female Cross Country Player of the Year.
Overall, Riverview finished eighth in the FHSAA Class 7A athletic rankings for 2025-26, according to Sarasota County Schools.
A college pitcher's mentality
Before teaching, Borriello pitched for Mount Saint Mary College (NCAA Division III) in Newburgh, New York, from 2019-23, posting a 4.86 career ERA over 163 innings and captaining the Knights from 2022-23. At Valley Central High School, he captained both the baseball and boys basketball teams.
He said baseball taught him to handle failure daily, a mindset he now brings to athletic administration. Assistant athletic director Dave Catalfino, who coaches girls track and field and girls weightlifting, said initial skepticism about Borriello's age faded fast. Catalfino described him as working hard to make the transition as smooth as possible and doing an outstanding job so far.
Borriello's other assistant AD is Josh Smithers, who coached Riverview football from 2017-24 and now serves as the team's defensive coordinator.
What's ahead
Fall sports practices began July 27 per FHSAA guidelines, with football, girls volleyball, golf, cross country and swimming all underway. Riverview's first day of school for 2026-27 is Monday, Aug. 10.
