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Kathy O'Neil enters her 26th season as head coach of the UMass Lowell women's basketball team and has enjoyed eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament over the last 20 years.
O'Neil enters the 2010-11 season fresh off a 16-11 campaign in 2009-10 in which she led the River Hawks to a share of sixth place (12-10) in the Northeast-10 Conference. She won the 400th game of her career on Feb. 6 with an 80-69 win over Stonehill - a win which coincided with the announcement of the Kathy O'Neil Endowment Fund, created by her peers and women's basketball alumni to honor her 25 years in coaching at the University.
Under O'Neil's tutelage, UMass Lowell has become one of the perennial powers in New England women's college basketball. With a record of 402-311 (.564), she has registered more wins than any other coach in UMass Lowell basketball history. Over the past 19 years, she has guided the program to an average of 18 victories per season.
Along with UMass Lowell's NCAA tournament appearances over the past 20 seasons, O'Neil guided the River Hawks to six New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) championships between 1991 and 1999 as well as the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division II championship in 1989-90.
In only its third season in the rigorous NE-10, O'Neil helped the River Hawks to the regular season and tournament runner-up spots in 2002-03, as well as its eighth NCAA Tournament bid in a 13-year span.
UMass Lowell's sterling 141-46 record over the last 11 seasons in the NECC was the best won-loss clip in the league during that span. Over the final 10 years of the NECC's 18 year illustrious history, O'Neil amassed a .709 winning percentage (210-86).
Along with her teams success, O'Neil has also been honored by her peers throughout her career. She was voted the NECC Coach of the Year three times (1991, 1995, 1997).
O'Neil's teams have also been very active within the City of Lowell community. Several players volunteer for the UML Mentoring Program at the Lowell City Magnet School, the Reading With Kodiak Program at the Bartlett School and in childcare at a local homeless shelter. Additionally, the women's basketball team's presence is a fixture at the Merrimack Valley Region Special Olympics each year.
One of the best women's basketball players in Saint Michael's history, O'Neil still holds a slew of school records, including most points in a game (36 vs. Bates, 1980), scoring average in a season (22.1), rookie season (16.2) and a career (17.9). She also holds the mark for steals in a season (147) and career (475) and was the first-ever player to score 1,000 points.
O'Neil's jersey, No. 11, was retired in October 1988, when she became the first women's basketball player inducted into the St. Michael's Athletic Hall of Fame. She was one of nine charter members.
A three-time team most valuable player and two-year captain, O'Neil was also a standout in the classroom. A political science major, she was named to the College Division Academic All-American Second Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). In addition to her basketball success, she was also a four-year standout in field hockey.
On Sept. 24, 2004 O'Neil was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame for her accomplishments at Saint Michael's.
O'Neil received her master's degree in business administration from UMass Lowell in May of 1999. She resides in Nashua, NH.
