Coach Gallaher will once again lead the Sweet Briar Swim Team into the 2011-2011 Season.  The 2009-2010 Season produced an 11-2 Dual Meet Record and a Third Place Finish in the ODAC/Atlantic States Championship.  In his 5 total years as Head Coach of the Vixen Swim Team, Gallaher has compiled a 39-16 dual meet record.  During the 2004-2005 season, Jason was named The ODAC Conference Coach of the Year.  In the spring of 2006, the Vixen Swimmers topped the College Swimming Coaches Association of America Academic All-American List with the highest Grade Point Average among all college swimming programs in the county.

Gallaher completed his undergraduate degree from Fairmont State University in Fairmont, WV.  While swimming for the Fighting Falcons, Gallaher was a several event Penn-Ohio All-Conference Swimmer as well as an NAIA All-American. During Jason’s senior year at Fairmont, he was the Penn-Ohio Conference Champion and The NAIA National Champion in the 200 Butterfly.  Also during his senior year, Gallaher was honored with the HPERS (Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Safety) Most Outstanding Student of the Year Award. In 2010 Jason was honored by Fairmont by being inducted into the Fairmont State Univeristy Hall of Fame. Coach Gallaher’s Master’s Degree is from California University of Pennsylvania, where he was the graduate assistant under his former Fairmont State Head Coach, Ed Denny.  While assisting the Vulcan Swim Team, Jason helped the program produce an undefeated dual meet record and a top 20 finish at the Division II NCAA Championship.

Gallaher’s College Coaching Career started in 1995 at Fairmont State, where he served as an assistant after his final year of swimming eligibility.  Jason also has six years of USA Club Coaching experience.  During one of his years as a USA Swimming Club Coach, he also served as an assistant coach at The College of William and Mary. 

“I am very excited for the 2010-2011 Swimming Season.  We return a great group of swimmers, and we are adding some talented first years.  This group should enable our program to continue to move in a positive direction.”

In addition to being Head Swimming Coach, Gallaher serves as Sweet Briar’s Director of Aquatics and a Lecturer in Physical Education.  Coach Gallaher is a member of The College Coaches Association of American as well as the American Swimming Coaches Association of America where he holds a Level III Certification.  Jason and his wife Kari are the proud parents of their 5 year old son Garrett.

Bonnie Kestner begins her eleventh season as Assistant Swim Coach for Sweet Briar College.  Kestner's experience as Sweet Briar College's former head coach as well as her upbeat attitude make her a valuable asset to the program.  Coach Gallaher says, "Bonnie is, and always has been so important to the swimming program at Sweet Briar.  No one has meant more to Sweet Briar Swimming than Bonnie Kestner." 

Kestner's college swimming career took place at Yale, where she was the first member of the Yale women's swim team and captained its first Varsity program.  Her coaching career began at her alma mater before accepting the head coaching position at Sweet Briar.  Kestner's successful coaching career includes being named ODAC Coach of the Year four times, while producing five NCAA Division III All-Americans and eighteen All-Conference swimmers. She served on the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Committee and has been ranked by FINA as one of the top ten Masters swimmers in the world in several events in her age group. 

Kestner has B.A. and M.A.R. degrees from Yale and also holds a Master's from the Univeristy of Virginia.  She is an Associate Professor at Sweet Briar College and teaches classes in swimming and nutrition.  An accomplished musician, Kestner currently resides on campus with her husband, Chuck.