University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA Official Athletic Site - Women's Swimming
 |
Regarded as one of the foremost coaches in women's swimming on both the collegiate and national levels, Cyndi Gallagher enters her 11th season as head coach of the Bruins with an impressive record of 61-27. Named the 1990 Pacific-10 Conference Coach of the Year, she is one of the few female coaches to be given the opportunity to coach at a Division I program and to succeed at the collegiate, national and international levels. Swimmers under Gallagher's tutelage have achieved great success. Most recently, two of her swimmers brought home medals while competing at the 1997 World University Games in Sicily, Italy. Junior Keiko Price won a gold medal as a member of Team USA's 4x100-meter freestyle relay team, and four-year All- American Lindsay Etter captured silver on the U.S. 400 medley relay squad. Price and Etter are also members of U.S. Swimming's "Project Sydney," a program to prepare targeted swimmers for the 2000 Olympics. Gallagher is one of the first female coaches to put an athlete on the Olympic team. That athlete, Annette Salmeen, made the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team and came home with a gold medal in the 800 freestyle relay. She also competed in the 200 butterfly after winning the event at the trials.
In addition to the 1996 Olympics, Gallagher has also placed many UCLA swimmers on international teams at the World University Games, the Goodwill Games, the Pan-American Games and the Pan-Pacific Games. Price qualified for the 1999 Pan Pacific Games in Sydney and will swim in the 4x100 free relay team as well as the 50, 100 and 200 free. Various national A and B teams have also featured swimmers coached by Gallagher.
All told, Gallagher has coached over 33 All-Americans in her 10 years as head coach and has made her mark on national and international U.S. coaching staffs as well. Recently selected assistant coach at the 1997 World University Games, Gallagher coached at the 1993 Olympic Festival, the 1994 National Distance Camp and for the 1995 National Junior team that competed in Paris. She also served on the advisory staff for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
During Gallagher's tenure, UCLA swimmers have broken 22 individual school records, and 17 different Bruins have won at least one event at the Pac-10 Championships. In 10 seasons, Gallagher has seen her UCLA teams finish fifth twice (1990, 1991), sixth twice (1989, 1992), seventh twice (1993, 1994), 10th once (1995), 11th once (1996), 13th once (1998) and 14th once (1997) at the NCAA Championships.
A 1982 graduate of UCLA, Gallagher had an illustrious career both as a former MVP and school record holder for the Bruins and as a U.S. National team member. She is still on the UCLA all-time top-times list for the 1000 and 1650 freestyle events.
A native of Mercer Island, WA, Gallagher swam for Lake Washington Chinook Swim Club under head coach Jack K. Ridley. She competed at senior nationals at the age of 12 in the distance freestyle and the individual medley. She represented the United States in Europe, Japan and Australia. Her national team career was highlighted by winning a bronze medal in the 800 free at the 1979 World University Games in Mexico City. She also participated in the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Trials.
A devoted mother to her 12-year-old daughter Tori, Gallagher's life away from the pool revolves around her family and friends. Her hobbies include biking, hiking, going to the beach and traveling.
(UCLA '82)
Head Swimming Coach