Kyle Gallo Assistant Coach Sixth Season
Kyle Gallo is in his sixth season with the Mountaineers and fifth as an assistant coach. Gallo assists coach Vic Riggs with the middistance, distance and stroke swimming, while also overseeing day-to-day operations, recruiting and academics. Gallo played a key part in sending eight swimmers, the most ever sent by WVU, to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials this past summer in Omaha, Neb. The Mountaineers were represented in 15 different events during the Trials. The 2011-12 season was WVU’s most productive under the current coaching staff as the women placed 26th at the 2012 NCAA Championships. Rachael Burnett, Kata Fodor, Mandie Nugent and Danielle Smith earned All-America Honorable Mention honors as part of the 16thplace 800 free relay team. Burnett earned the honor twice more, finishing 14th in the 500 free and 11th in the 1650 free, while Nugent also earned the honor with a ninth-place finish in the 200 fly. At the 2012 Big East Championships, the women took third place and the men finished in fourth place as 15 members of the squad earned All-Big East honors. Burnett and Nugent led the women with seven top-three finishes, while Taylor Camp had three for the men. Burnett was named the Big East Women’s Most Outstanding Swimmer.
Under Gallo’s watch, 53 WVU records, 18 pool records and 13 Big East Championships records have been broken. In total, Gallo has coached one NCAA AllAmerican and 14 NCAA All-America Honorable Mentions. Kevin Donohue became the swimming program’s first-ever individual All-American with his fifth-place finish in the 100 breast at the 2008 NCAA Championships. Gallo also coached Jared Goldthorpe to a 10th-place finish in the 200 back at the 2011 NCAA Championships and Michael Walker to an 11th-place finish in the 400 IM. Burnett, Kayla Andrews, Morgan Callaway and Shaunna Purtell earned Honorable Mention All-American status with their 15th-place finish in the 400 free relay at the 2010 NCAA Championships. Gallo has most notably helped the team in the classroom, as both the men’s and women’s teams were named to the Collegiate Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) All-Academic Team during the 2011-12 terms. The women have been honored nine consecutive semesters, while the men have earned the honor twice. In 2012, 24 swimmers and divers were honored by the Big East and named Big East Academic All-Stars.
30 | West Virginia University
The Sterling, Va., native has been coaching all ability levels and age groups for 13 years. He is a former coach for Mountaineer Aquatic Club and is now currently the co-head coach for West Virginia Aquatics. Gallo also spent one year as an assistant coach at University High in Morgantown after graduating from WVU in 2006 with a degree in physical education and health education teaching, and a minor in athletic coaching. In the summer of 2009, Gallo received his master’s in physical education. Gallo was a four-year swimmer and 2005 captain of the WVU swim team, where he competed in the sprint free events. He also is a multiple Big East Championships qualifier.