Fairfield University Athletics

A two-time MAAC Diving Coach of the Year, Devon O’Nalty returns for his sixth season with the Stags in 2024-25. While working primarily with the divers, O’Nalty has been integral to the success of both the men’s and women’s programs as a whole. He was on the deck for a pair of MAAC Championships for the women (2020, 2023) and the men’s best-ever finish at the conference meet (2nd, 2022).
 
Under his leadership in 2023-24, Fairfield divers swept the major awards at the MAAC Championship. Alexis Gaulin '24 earned Most Outstanding Female Diver after winning both the 1M and 3M titles, while Lily Tonole '27 was tabbed as Female Diving Rookie of the Meet after posting top-six finishes off of both boards.
 
On the men’s side, Andrew Cataldo '27 claimed both Most Outstanding Male Diver and Diving Rookie of the Meet, respectively, as he won the 3M crown and placed fourth in the 1M Dive. For his efforts, O’Nalty was named MAAC Diving Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.
 
O’Nalty was also named MAAC Diving Coach of the Year in 2022 and the ECAC Diving Coach of the Meet in 2019.

Prior to his time at Fairfield, O’Nalty coached for Williams College and Wesleyan University. During his tenure at both institutions, he was honored multiple times as the Men’s Diving Coach of the Year, mentoring several NCAA Division III National Qualifiers, university record-holding athletes and top-eight finishers at the NESCAC Men’s and Women’s Championships. 

In addition to his success at the collegiate level, O'Nalty has coached numerous high school athletes at Xavier, Mercy and Middletown. He was also the Head Coach and founder of the Elite Diving club team where he developed multiple Connecticut State Open qualifiers, who were later recruited to an array of college-level programs.  

The 2008 Marist College graduate compiled a sensational senior season off the diving board, earning the Men’s Diver of the Meet award at the ECAC Division I Championship. Additionally, O’Nalty continued his success at the NCAA Division I Zone A qualifying meet where he placed 10th out of 31 on 1-meter and 16th in the 3-meter. At the conclusion of the 2007-08 year, he earned Team MVP accolades and collected the Coaches’ Award. O'Nalty also was a positive influence outside of the pool, garnering the James E. Pizzani award for demonstrating outstanding community service, work ethic and leadership qualities.

Beyond the pool deck, O’Nalty serves as Vice President of Inclusion & Diversity at American Eagle Financial Credit Union. He holds a Bachelor’s in Communication with a minor in Psychology from MAAC rival Marist College, along with Master’s degrees in Management and Organizational Leadership from Albertus Magnus College and Human Resource Management from the University of Connecticut.