Swimming & Diving
- Title:
- Head Swimming Coach
Cyndi Gallagher, one of the top college coaches in America, enters her 31th season as head coach of the UCLA Bruins in 2018-19, having compiled an impressive won-loss record of 194-104-2. An intrinsic part of the UCLA Athletic Department for the past 35 years as a student-athlete, assistant coach, and head coach, her dedication to UCLA swimming and diving and to her former and current athletes is unparalleled.
A 1983 graduate of UCLA, Gallagher had an illustrious career both as a school record holder for the Bruins and as a USA National Team member. Representing the U.S.A. National Team in Europe, Japan and Australia, she competed at the Olympic Trials in 1976 and 1980 and was a bronze medalist in the 800-meter Freestyle at the 1979 World University Games in Mexico City.
For the Record
Gallagher is one of the few coaches in the nation who coaches at her alma mater. A highly successful student-athlete for UCLA, she garnered All-American honors, set several school records and earned recognition as the university's "Most Valuable Athlete." As a coach, she has attained an even higher level, coaching Olympians, Olympic medalists, NCAA and USA national champions and national team members. She was recognized again by Team USA when she was named to the 2014-2015 U.S. National Team coaching staff.
Over the years, Gallagher has compiled an enviable record of success. In nine of her 30ย years at the helm of UCLA womenโs swimming, her Bruins have finished among the nationโs Top 10 teams. Theyโve been among the Top 15 teams in 15 of her years.
High Expectations
Gallagher and her first-rate coaching staff have high expectations of their athletes, both in and out of the pool. These expectations, in turn, attract elite, intelligent, dedicated, goal-oriented and well-rounded student-athletes.
Known for her strong work ethic and positive attitude, Gallagher leads by example. She inspires her athletes to believe in themselves and to follow their dreams, teaching them to be attentive to detail and to find a way to improve their swimming at every practice session. Gallagher also understands the importance of enjoying swimming and competing, and to embrace the process of becoming a great athlete. Part of being a successful collegiate athlete is learning how to balance all the requirements of being a student-athlete. Part of being a successful person once outside of the swimming world, is learning to do the same. Gallagher believes you can achieve anything you set your mind to, as long as you have the preparation and perspective, and have confidence in your abilities.
She also believes that teamwork and team unity are essential elements for success, citing them as key ingredients in the team's Pac-10 Championship seasons of 2001 and 2003.
Reaching Their Potential
Producing Olympians is always among Gallagher's highest priorities. In 1996, she became one of the first female coaches to place an athlete on the U.S. Olympic team when Annette Salmeen qualified for the Atlanta Games in two events - the 200 Butterfly, which she won at the Olympic Trials, and the 800 Freestyle Relay. Salmeen, who had already become Gallagher's first national collegiate champion when she won the 200 Fly at the NCAA's, went on to win Olympic gold as a member of the triumphant USA 800 Free Relay.
Four years later, Gallagher placed another Bruin in the Olympics when Marilyn Chua, representing Malaysia, swam the 50 Free at the Sydney Games. In 2000 and 2004, the Bruins' Malin Svahnstrom represented her native Sweden at the Games, swimming in the 800 Free Relay both times and coming away with a silver medal.
During the summer of 2008, Gallagher guided three athletes to Olympic teams - 2006 graduate Kim Vandenberg, 2009 graduate Nicolette Teo (competing for Singapore in her third Olympic Games) and four-time Olympian Amanda Beard. Vandenberg won a bronze medal as a member of the 800 Free relay, while Beard and Teo competed in the Breaststroke.
In addition to the Olympics, Gallagher has also placed many UCLA swimmers on international teams, including the World Championships, Pan-Pacific Games, World University Games, Goodwill Games and the Pan-American Games. More than a dozen U.S. and foreign National A and B teams have also featured swimmers coached by Gallagher.
All told, Gallagher has coached 91ย All-Americans who have earned a total of 205 All-American awards in her 30 years as head coach, and she has made her mark on national and international U.S. coaching staffs as well. She served on the advisory coaching staff for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and was selected as assistant coach at the 1997, 2001, 2005 and 2006 World University Games. She also served as assistant coach for the 1995 U.S. National Junior Team that competed in Paris, the 1994 U.S. National Distance Camp, the assistant coach for the Japan International Grand Prix and the 1993 US Olympic Festival. All of that international coaching experience paid off when she was selected to serve as USAโs Head Coach at the 2007 World University Games.
During Gallagher's tenure at UCLA, her swimmers have completely rewritten the school record book and 21 different Bruins have won at least one event at the Pac-10/12 Championships. But it's not just the crème de la crème who thrive under Gallagher's guidance.
Gallagher is also proud of the composition of the team that qualifies for the NCAA's, a team that, more often than not, includes several "walk-ons" who have gone on to be NCAA All-Americans. Bethany Goodwin scored in the 100 Fly and Kristen Lewis was in both the 100 and 200 Fly. Also, Lewis was a semi-finalist at the 2004 Olympic Trials in the 100 and 200 Fly and Goodwin went on to make several U.S. National teams and set a World University Games record while winning the 50 Fly.
In the Classroom
Gallagher's commitment to excellence in the classroom is shown in her student-athletes' many academic achievements. Exhibit A, of course, is NCAA Champion and Olympic gold medalist Salmeen, who was named a Rhodes Scholar - UCLA's eighth-ever and first since 1973 - and also earned an NCAA stayed involved in swimming as an elected Athlete Representative for USA Swimming.
During her magical senior year in 1996, Salmeen won two Pac-10 titles (100 and 200 Fly) and was named UCLA Female Athlete of the Year and Alumni Association Outstanding Senior. She also received the NCAA Top VIII Award, presented to only eight NCAA student-athletes annually for excellence in academics and athletics. In addition, Salmeen was an NCAA Woman of the Year finalist. During her Bruin career, she was a two-time team MVP, named the team's hardest worker on three occasions, voted most inspirational twice and graduated with UCLA records in the 200 Butterfly, 200 Free and 500 Free. Salmeen graduated from UCLA with honors in chemistry (3.94 GPA) in 1997 and earned her PhD in biochemistry at Oxford in 2001. In October 2006, Salmeen was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame.
Along with Salmeen and Lewis, Keiko Price, Brighed Dwyer and Katie Younglove were also honored with coveted NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships. Younglove was named a Verizon Academic All-American and numerous Bruins have received Pac-10/12 All-Academic recognition. It's no accident that the Bruin swimmers are consistently represented on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
Gallagher's ultimate goal in coaching is to have each athlete reach her full potential, both as an athlete and as a person. She is most proud of her former athletes for their accomplishments and contributions to society after graduating from UCLA. Gallagher's swimmers have gone on to earn Masters degrees and PhD's, and to become successful teachers, lawyers, scientists, doctors, engineers, businesswomen, ministers and mothers.
The Last Decade
2017-18: Katie Grover and junior Emma Schanz split four new individual school records, while the quartet of Kenisha Liu, Grover,Sarah Kaunitz and Amy Okada set a new top 200 free relay mark to achieve a series-first tie with crosstown rival USC on Senior Day. UCLA also set a new record in the 800 free relay. At NCAAs, the Bruins finished 26th overall. Five Bruins earned CSCAA All-American honors, including two-time All-Americans Grover (800 free relay, 200 free) and Eloise Belanger (platform, 3m diving).ย
2016-2017: The Bruins made over the school record book to the tune of eight new swimming marks and two new diving ones. Senior Linnea Mack (50 Free, 100 Free, 100 Back) established three UCLA individual marks of her own and had a hand in all four new top relay times (400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay). Senior Madison White (200 Back) added the fourth solo record.
UCLA defended its home pool, going undefeated at Spieker Aquatics Center. Included in that run were wins over Pac-12 foes Oregon State, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah. The A3 Performance Invitational once again proved to be a home away from home for the Bruins, who claimed their second consecutive win at the event with nine wins over the course of the three-day, 10-team gathering. Ultimately, the conference campaign culminated in a fifth-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships and a No. 20 ranking at NCAAs. Six Bruins (Eloise Belanger, Katie Grover, Sarah Kaunitz, Mack, Maria Polyakova and White) garnered All-America honors from the Collegiate Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA).
Out of the pool, the Bruins were again recognized nationally for their academic success, as they received Scholar All-America acclaim from the CSCAA. Twelve student-athletes earned individual recognition. UCLA also topped the Pac-12 with 23 conference All-Academic team members. Emily Hammond and Annika Lenz picked up First-Team accolades.
2015-2016: The Bruins set three school records at the NCAA Championships en route to a 17th-place finish. Linnea Mack broke her own records in the 50 Free and 100 Back at NCAAs, while Pac-12 Freshman Diver of the Year Eloise Belanger set a new record in the 1M. At the Pac-12 Championships, Mack broke her own school record in the 100 Back twice in one day--first in the championship final of the 100 Back and again as the lead-off leg in the 400 Medley Relay. The junior also broke her school record in the 100 Free to finish fifth overall.
On September 17, 2015, it was announced that Bruins Caroline McTaggart and Emma Schanz had been selected to the 2015-16 USA National Junior Team. McTaggart was selected in the 100 Free and 100 Fly events, while Schanz made the cut in the 200 Breast.
A total of eight Bruins were named to the CSCAA Scholar All-America Team (Marie-Pierre Delisle, Katie Grover, Katie Kinnear, Annika Lenz, Ciara Monahan, Maria Polyakova, Sandra Soe, and Arlyn Upshaw). Grover, Kinnear, Lenz, and Polyakova earned first team honors. At the Texas Invitational, Caroline McTaggart broke one of the oldest UCLA freshman records in the 200 Free and Grover swam a career-best to win the 200 Fly, moving her to fourth on UCLAโs All-Time list.
2014-2015: The Bruins set five school records at the Pac-12 Championships and broke two of those records while setting new ones at the NCAA Championships en route to a 23rd-place finish. At Pac-12s, UCLA set records in the 200 IM Relay (Madison White, Allison Wine, Noelle Tarazona, Mack), 100 Breaststroke (Wine), 400 IM Relay (White, Wine, Tarazona, Mack), 400 Free Relay (White, Mack, Grover, Monica Dornick), and 1650 Free (Katy Campbell).
In the very first heat of the very first race of the NCAA Championships, Mack, Grover, White, and Dornick bettered the Bruinsโ season-best time (1:30.03) by nearly a second with a 1:29.05 to set a school record in the 200 Free Relay. In the 400 IM Relay, White, Wine, Tarazona, and Mack bested their previous school record of 3:34.54 set at Pac-12โs with a 3:34.25. On the final day of NCAAs, Dornick, Mack, Gover, and White set a new school record in the 400 Free Relay with a 3:15.83.
Earlier in the season, the Bruins claimed first-place at the 2014 AT&T Winter National Championships in Greensboro, N.C. (Dec. 3-6), as five UCLA swimmers recorded top-five finishes on the final day of competition to secure the victory with 441 points. Linnea Mack finished fourth in the individual rankings with 65 points.
A total of eight Bruins were named to the CSCAA Scholar All-America Team (Tarazona, Lenz, Grover, Taylor Carlson, Jessica Khojasteh, Kinnear, Upshaw, and Anna Quinn). Tarazona, Lenz, and Grover earned first-team honors. During the summer swim season, Grover, Mack, White, and Tarazona took home the bronze medal in the 400 Free Relay at the Phillips 66 National Championships.
2013-2014: The Bruins set five school records at the NCAA Championships en route to a 21st-place finish. UCLA set records in the 500 Freestyle (Lauren Baker), 200 Free Relay (Kathryn Murphy, Ting Wen Quah, Katie Kinnear, Linnea Mack), 100 Butterfly (Quah), 200 Backstroke (Madison White) and 400 Free Relay (Murphy, Mack, Quah, Anna Senko).
Eight Bruins were named to the CSCAA Honorable Mention All-America Team (Baker, Kinnear, Mack, Murphy, Quah, Senko, Noelle Tarazona, White). In August, UCLA swimming completed an outstanding summer when Katy Campbell won the 1500 Free at the U.S. National Championships, the Bruinsโ first winner of a National Championship since 2004. In addition, Mack was named to the USA National Junior Team.
2012-2013: Nine Bruins were named to the CSCAA All-America Teams, as UCLA posted its best NCAA finish (17th) since 2007. The 11 dual meet wins, including victories over Arizona and Arizona State, were the most in program history for a single season. UCLA had a pair of First Team All-Americans, as Quah finished seventh in the 100 Fly at the NCAA Championships and Emma Ivory-Ganja placed seventh in the Platform diving event. The Bruins broke seven school records (100, 200, 1000 and 1650 Free, 100 Fly and 200 and 400 Free Relays). UCLA was fifth at the Pac-12 Championships.
2011-2012: Gallagher had 13 current UCLA swimmers who were 2012 Olympic Trials participants. During the season, the Bruin swimmers broke six school records (50 and 100 Free, 100 Fly, 200 Medley Relay and 200 and 400 Free Relays), two freshmen records (100 Breast and 400 IM) and two facility records (50 Free and 200 Free Relay). Yasi Jahanshahi was the top Bruin at the NCAA Championships, finishing 12th in the 200 Fly and 15th in the 100 Fly. The Bruins tied for 37th at the NCAA's and were fifth at the Pac-12 Championships.
2010-2011: Numerous All-American honors were garnered at the NCAA Championships, highlighted by Lauren Hall's record-breaking swims in the 200 IM (7th) and 400 IM (10th), Brittany Beauchan's 200 Breaststroke (10th), Jahanshahi's 200 Butterfly (11th) and Sam Vanden Berge's 12th-place school record swim in the 1650 Free. The 800 Free Relay (13th) also earned All-American honors. The season was also highlighted by multiple school-record swims: Cynthia Fascella (100 Free), Alex Sullivan (200 Free), Vanden Berge (500, 1650 Free), Hall (200 and 400 IM) and the 400 Medley and 400 Free Relay and 800 Free Relay. UCLA finished 20th at the NCAA Championships and fourth at the Pac-10 meet.
2009-2010: The Bruins had one of the best meets for individual performances during Gallagher's tenure as head coach. At NCAA's, Beauchan was a double All-American performer in the Breaststroke events (ninth in both), while Bianca Casciari (7th, 200 Fly), Hall (13th, 400 IM) and Vanden Berge (13th, 1650 Free) also earned honors along with the 400 Medley (16th) and 800 Free Relay (14th) teams. Multiple school records fell in the pool behind a talented group swimmers ranging from freshmen to juniors. The Bruins finished 19th at the NCAA Championships.
2008-2009: The Bruins had a young team, but saw much success and improvement throughout the year. Several swimmers achieved marks on UCLA's all-time top-eight, while Madeleine Stanton (100/200 Back) and Hall (400 IM) set new school records. Numerous NCAA qualifying marks were achieved, but another unbelievably fast swim season saw only Stanton and Hall advance to the NCAA Championships.
Away From the Pool
Coach Gallagher's life away from the pool revolves around her family and friends. She has a daughter, Tori, a 2008 graduate of the University of Colorado in Boulder. Gallagher resides on the beautiful beach of Marina del Rey.
