Maria Gallo enters her third season as head coach of the UBC Thunderbirds womens rugby program.
An educator, coach and former national team athlete, Gallo brings an impressive mix of experience to her position.
In her first season as UBC's head coach, she was named the 2013 Canada West Coach of the Year. In 2014, the Thunderbirds continued to improve, finishing at .500 for the first time since 2009.
Before becoming the head coach, Gallo served as the team's assistant coach in 2011 and 2012 and also served in the same position in 2009. Gallo guided the Thunderbirds squad at the Rugby Canada National Invitational University Sevens Championship in Langford, B.C. in the spring of 2013.
Her previous coaching experience includes a stint as the backs coach of the B.C. Under-19 Provincial Men's Team in the summer of 2012 and a position as player-coach of the Burnaby Lake Rugby Club's Women's Sevens Team (2011-12). Gallo was also the backs coach for the University of Alberta Pandas for two years (2007-08).
From 1999 to 2010, she was a member of the Canadian Women's Senior 15's National Team, serving as vice-captain. During her tenure with the national team she earned 55 caps and represented her country at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. She spent two years with the Canadian Women's National 7's Team (2008-2010) where she was named team captain and led her country to the 2009 World Cup.
A multi-talented athlete, Gallo was also a member of Canada's National Bobsleigh Team for two years (2003-04).
While she was representing Canada in rugby and bobsleigh, Gallo was also excelling in her academic pursuits. She graduated with honours from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Science in 2000. Gallo then began her time at the University of Alberta, where she played for the Pandas rugby team while finishing her PhD in Muscle/Exercise Biochemistry, which was completed in 2007.
At Alberta, Gallo won the Canada West and CIS Most Valuable Player awards in 2002 and CIS titles in 2001 and 2003 to add to the 1998 title she earned at Guelph. She was named a CIS Top 8 Academic All-Canadian in 2003.
From 2008 to 2009, she was a Post-Doctoral Fellow in UBC's School of Human Kinetics (now Kinesiology). Since 2009, Gallo has been an Instructor I at UBC, teaching courses such as Active Health, Exercise Physiology and Coaching Science.
Her athletic achievements were celebrated with an induction to the Guelph Gryphon Hall of Fame in 2010.
