Fairfield University Women's Swimming

Atkinson-Wignall spent four seasons at Wright State University, coaching the distance group and directing the fundraising swim lesson program. On the international stage, Atkinson-Wignall was selected as the head coach for the Jamaican National Team at the 2009 Swimming World Championships in Rome, Italy. In July 2013, USA Swimming appointed her head coach for the first Southern Zone Diversity Summer Select Camp. A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Atkinson-Wignall is a two-time Olympian who competed in the 2000 Sydney Games and the 2004 Athens Games. She finished fourth in the 400-meter freestyle and ninth in the 800-meter freestyle in Sydney. For the 2012 London Olympic Games, she returned home and served as a swimming broadcast analyst which was aired throughout the entire Caribbean. She medaled at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England, the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia, and the 1999 Pan-American Games in Winnipeg, Canada. In addition, she is a seven-time recipient of the Jamaican Swimmer of the Year award and a six-time nominee for the Jamaican Sportswoman of the Year. The 1999-2000 National High School Swimmer of the Year, Atkinson-Wignall earned 10 All-America honors while competing at the University of Florida. She received three First Team All-Southeastern Conference accolades, had three top-three finishes in three years at the NCAA Championships, and was a three-time SEC Champion. Atkinson-Wignall, who graduated in 2005, was also part of the 2002 team that became SEC Champions and was on the SEC Academic Honor Roll four times.

Gallagher brings extensive experience as a swim instructor and four-year tenure as a Division I student-athlete. Gallagher will be integral in swimmer development and the day-to-day operations of the Fairfield mens and womens swimming and diving programs. Gallagher was a four-year member of the University of Connecticut womens varsity swimming and diving team, where she participated mainly in the breaststroke and IM events. She served as a team captain for her junior and senior campaigns during which time she garnered the UConn Club Outstanding Senior Scholar Athlete Award (2012), her second Outstanding Varsity Swimmer Award (2010, 2012) and the Most Inspirational Swimmer Award (2011). She was both a U.S. National Qualifier and an NCAA B Qualifier. Gallagher was a four-time All-Big East Academic Team selection throughout her career for the Huskies. During her rookie campaign, she was named to the All-Conference Big East Team, was an Honorable Mention Academic All-American for Swimming, and was named an Outstanding Freshman Swimmer. She held multiple school records at UConn by the time she graduated.      Prior to her tenure at UConn, Gallagher spent five summers as a swim instructor at the Lawrence Swim School and a lifeguard at the Alvamar Country Club in Lawrence, Kansas. As an instructor, she taught stroke technique and comfort in the water to a variety of ages and skill levels. Gallagher is a cum laude graduate of the University of Connecticut, collecting a Bachelor of Science degree in 2012 as a major in Finance. She resides in Fairfield, Conn. where she also works as a financial analyst at Foundation Source.

Vener recieved ECAC Co-Men's Coach of the Year accolades. Vener also trained freshman Daniel Pires, who was a two-time recipient of ECAC Diver of the Week honors.  In 2012, Vener guided Ashlee Steinberger to a MAAC title on the 3-meter board and to Most Outstanding Diver accolades at the MAAC Championships. In 2009, Vener coached Taylor Stecko to a pair of sixth place finishes on the 1-meter and 3-meter at the ECAC Championships. It was the best performance by a male diver at the event in program history. In 2010, Stecko broke three program records and placed fourth at the MAAC Championships on both boards. In 2003, Peter LoVerme clinched a MAAC title on the 1-meter board under the direction of Vener. Ten years prior, Vener guided Catherine Bassi to MAAC titles on both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards as well as MAAC Diver of Meet accolades. Bassi was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001. In 1992, Vener coached Matt Baron who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004. In his second season with the Stags he was named the MAAC Diving Coach of the Year.  He was a four-year member of the Bucknell University swimming and diving team. In his freshman season, Vener was a finalist in the one and 3-meter diving events as he helped lead the Bison to the East Coast Conference championship in 1987. A native of Westport, Conn., he attended Staples High School where he was a diver on the varsity team for four years. Vener graduated from Bucknell in 1990 with a degree in business administration and received his MBA from Fairfield in 2005