First-year head coach Steve Allnutt has grown his staff at the University of Hawaii, announcing last month that he hired Lauren Sale and Tim Gallagher as assistant coaches. The Rainbow Warriors will now have four assistant coaches as Chris Grimmet-Norris and Justin Lisoway are also on staff.
Most recently, Sale was a volunteer coach at the University of South Carolina and a lead age group coach at Gamecock Aquatics. Before assuming those roles, she served as a graduate assistant sports performance coach at both the University of West Florida and Northern Arizona University.
Sale spent her college career at Boise State, earning All-Academic and All-Mountain West Scholar Athlete honors. She served as captain for the team in the 2019-2020 season and specialized in IM and the 200 backstroke. She raced internationally at the long-course 2019 Pacific Games representing Samoa and earned gold in the 200 backstroke and 200 IM, setting a national record in the latter. Her 2:24.12 in the 200 IM remains the Samoan record and she also owns her national record in the 200 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, and is a part of all three national record-holding women’s relay teams.
“I am very excited to announce Coach Lauren Sale as one of our newest members of the UH Swim & Dive ‘Ohana!” said Allnutt. “Coach Lauren will bring a wide range of knowledge and experience to our program in and out of the water. She has coached swimming and strength & conditioning all over the US and has great experience with competition during her collegiate and international swimming career. Lauren has a reputation for building strong relationship [sic] with all the student-athletes she works with, and her energy and passion for excellence will be a huge asset to our coaching staff and program!”
Gallagher returns to the University of Hawaii pool deck after graduating as a member of the class of 2024. He competed for the Rainbow Warriors for five seasons, establishing marks on the program’s all-time top ten list in the 100 backstroke (46.93), 200 backstroke (1:43.27), and 200 IM (1:46.98). Gallagher last competed in the 100 and 200 backstroke at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. In Indianapolis, he finished 41st in the 200 back (2:01.57) and 42nd in the 100 back (55.56), swimming a lifetime best in the latter.
Gallagher has coaching experience from working as an assistant coach at Aulea Swim Club, where he’s been coaching for the past three years.
“It’s with great honor that we will bring Tim Gallagher back to the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex to continue his great career with UH Swim & Dive,” Allnutt shared.
“After five amazing years as a Rainbow Warrior student-athlete, he will step up to the coaching ranks and make a great impact on our current and future student-athletes. Tim has an incredible reputation within the local and national swimming community.”
The University of Hawaii is coming off a successful season where they swept the MPSF conference championships and qualified a diver and the men’s 200 freestyle relay for the 2024 Men’s Division I NCAA Championship. The team is next in action this season at the SMU Invite from Nov. 20-23.
