Head coach Ryan O'Connell enters his third season as the men's and women's cross country/track & field coach.
Hired in May of 2020, the Massachusetts native led both his men and women's cross country teams to a GNAC Championship title in the 2021 season. He coached four men and three women to all-conference honors while also guiding the men's GNAC runner and rookie of the year. O'Connell coached first-year Samantha Carus, the highest overall individual finisher at the NCAA Regionals in Colby-Sawyer history. The women's team was regionally ranked in the top 10 for the first time in program history while also earning the title of highest placing team at regionals with the women placing ninth. Also in his fist competitive season, post Covid, O'Connell was named both the men's and women's GNAC cross country coach of the year.
During his first competitive indoor track and field season, the men finished as the GNAC runner's up while the women placed fourth. Throughout the season, eleven Chargers entered the record book under O'Connell's lead, with seven new school records. Adding to the list was seven individual men and two-relay teams earning GNAC All-Conference titles with seven individual women and one relay team being awarded from the women's side.
The spring of 2022 marked O'Connell's first outdoor track and field competitive season with the Chargers. The men's team finished in first place, earning the programs second GNAC Championship while the women placed second with two school broken records in the 100m and 200m. Five members of the Track and Field team qualified for the New England Regionals under O'Connell's lead with one breaking the school record in the 10k.
O'Connell joined the Chargers in the midst of a global pandemic after spending the previous four seasons as the assistant men's and women's cross country and track and field coach at Wheaton College. Prior to Wheaton, O'Connell spent a year at Bridgewater State University and two seasons as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Springfield College.
As a student-athlete at Springfield, O'Connell had a very successful career as a member of the cross country and track & field teams. He was team captain of both teams, earned All-NEWMAC and All-Region honors in both sports, and was a two-time national qualifier in cross country while also qualifying in the 1500-meter.
At Springfield, Ryan earned a bachelor's degree in Recreation and Sport Management in 2013, and completed his Master's degree in Athletic Administration in 2015.
Additionally, O'Connell has earned USTFCCA Track and Field Academy certifications in strength and conditioning, endurance specialist, and jumps event specialist. He also holds a level 1 technical track and field coaching certification.
