Portage pride runs through Greg Mundt’s blood. He always envisioned himself returning to his alma mater. The last few years were a whirlwind, but he claims he could not be happier with his current situation.
Mundt, a 2000 Portage graduate, currently coaches the girl’s swim team at the school. His family is familiar with the waters. He joined forces with his brother Eric, who coaches the boy’s swim team. His father, Ralph, coached Portage swimming for 30 years.
“Coaching was always the goal,” Mundt said. “It is great to have learned from my dad and now coach with my brother. We have the same ideas and the same attitudes, and we instill what we know in the kids.”
He also teaches history and government to Portage juniors and seniors. He said he appreciates the different lessons the classroom has to offer.
“I really think you learn something best by teaching it,” he said. “The kids I teach come up with questions you never see coming.”
Those questions have helped Mundt adapt to challenges over his 11 years of coaching and teaching.
“I used to be more hard-headed than I am now,” Mundt said with a laugh. “I thought that the things I used to do would work. That is definitely not the case with everyone.”
He listed Mike Krzyzewski and Region native Gregg Popovich as his two biggest coaching influences. He said he respects the way both coaches go about their business.
“After I watched them, I realized you have to cater to each group and each individual person,” he said. “Their values are big parts of my coaching attitude because they are both very understated people. Their results speak for themselves.”
Mundt now has to balance his time in the pool and classroom with raising a family. His son, Grant, is one-and-a-half years old. He and his wife welcomed their daughter Grace to the world a month ago.
“The time commitment with coaching is extreme,” he said. “But I am very grateful to have a wife who is very supportive. She has been for over three years now.”
The Portage pool presents a unique set of challenges for Mundt. The pool is not the proper size and is measured in meters, not yards. He says that it hinders the children who grow up swimming through the Portage Porpoise Swim Club.
“It is the oldest pool in our area,” he said. “But the upside of the challenges is that we keep improving as a team. We prove to ourselves that we can hang with the Chestertons, the Lake Central's and the Crown Points.
Mundt was quick to praise the Portage faculty and administration. He said that his peers assist him through the obstacles he faces.
“There are great people at our school,” he said. “When you walk through the halls, you know that people care about you and will help you. The teachers genuinely care and show respect for the students.”
He currently teaches history to a group of Portage juniors who want to get ahead. Some of his 20 students hope to graduate early.
“The students are very motivated this summer,” he said. “It’s a lot more laid-back than a normal class, and I know the students really want to learn.”