The young man seen with Chelsea Clinton during the president’s weekend visit to Stanford University is a religious studies major and champion swimmer. In a telephone interview with the San Jose Mercury News, Matthew Pierce identified himself as Chelsea Clinton’s boyfriend, the newspaper reported Monday.
According to a biography provided by the Stanford Athletic Department, Pierce is a 20-year-old junior from The Woodlands, Texas, a small city north of Houston. He was a National Merit Scholar and is majoring in religious studies.
In March, Pierce won the 200-meter butterfly to help Stanford capture this year’s NCAA men’s swimming championship. He also competed in the backstroke and participated in the 1996 U.S. Olympic trials.
Pierce, sporting a crew cut and dressed in a white shirt, olive pants and a dark tie, accompanied the Clintons at a non-denominational service Sunday at the ornate Stanford Memorial Church. Sitting in the front pew, the Clintons sang hymns and watched as a dozen children were baptized.
Pierce later joined the Clintons for lunch at a Palo Alto restaurant and, as they entered, he put his arm around Chelsea, 18.
