Gavin Viano is entering his second year as the director of athletics and recreation at Trinity College in 2026-27. He joined the Bantams in August 2025 after serving as the director of athletics and recreation at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, where he also served as associate vice president of strategic programs beginning in 2022. At Wheaton, he oversaw the Division III athletics and recreation program and contributed to institutional initiatives involving enrollment, student wellness, fundraising, and nontraditional revenue development.
During his first year at Trinity, Viano helped lead the department through continued competitive success, including two national championships and four NESCAC championships, as well as significant growth initiatives, including the announcement that Trinity will add varsity fencing to its athletics offerings. The Bantams will launch a women's fencing program in the 2027-28 academic year, followed by a men's fencing program in 2028-29.
Thanks to the generosity of our alumni, parents, families, friends, and former student-athletes, Trinity Athletics raised a record-breaking $2.27 million in support of the Athletic Director’s Fund for Excellence, Athletics Equity Initiatives, and the “Friends of” funds for each varsity athletic program. This represented a 26% increase over the previous year and exceeded the previous fundraising record by nearly half a million dollars.
Viano previously served as associate athletic director for development at Davidson College from 2015 to 2020, where he oversaw fundraising for the athletics department and helped complete a $60 million campaign supporting new facility projects and enhancing student-athlete scholarships. Viano also served as the varsity sport administrator for Davidson’s golf and swimming & diving programs.
From 2010 to 2015, he was senior managing director of athletics fundraising at Dartmouth College, where he focused on annual giving and expanding the department's donor base. Dartmouth’s annual athletic giving more than doubled between 2010 and 2015.
Throughout his career, Viano has focused on supporting student-athletes and building strong relationships across campus and within the broader college community. He earned a B.A. in history from Clark University, where he competed as a Division III student-athlete and served as captain of the men's swimming and diving team. He also earned an M.S. in sports management from Drexel University.
