Ryan O’Connell is entering his third season as the Head Men's and Women's Cross Country / Distance Coach at UMass Dartmouth during the 2023 academic year.
O’Connell came to UMass Dartmouth after a three stint as the head cross country and track and field coach at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH.
While at CSC O'Connell led both the men's and women's Cross Country teams to a GNAC Championship titles during the 2021 season, while coaching seven students to all-conference honors and guiding Dylan Flewelling the men's GNAC Runner and Rookie of the Year. The women's team also was regionally ranked in the top-10 for the first time in program history, placing ninth. In his first competitive season post-COVID, O'Connell was named both the men's and women's GNAC Cross Country Coach of the Year.
During the track and field seasons O’Connell led the men’s track and field team to its second ever Outdoor GNAC Championship title, he coached 42 GNAC all-conference athletes, 1 GNAC track athlete of the year, 1 GNAC field athlete of the year, and 1 GNAC rookie of the year. Five members of the Track and Field team qualified for the New England Regionals in 2022. During the 2021-2022 season 12 school records were also broken. At the end of the 2022 season O’Connell was named Coach of the Year.
Following up in the fall of 2022, O'Connell led the women's Cross Country team to another GNAC Championship title, while coaching eleven students to all-conference honors and guiding Shannon O’Connell the GNAC Runner of the Year. O'Connell was also named Coach of the Year in the fall of 2022.
Prior to joining the Chargers, O'Connell spent the prior four years as the assistant coach of men's and women's Cross Country/Track & Field at Wheaton College (MA). O'Connell also served at Bridgewater State University and as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Springfield College.
As an undergraduate at Springfield, O’Connell was a four-year member of the cross country and track & field teams, served as captain for cross country for two years and captain for the track and field team for three.
As a Cross Country athlete he qualified for nationals twice, earned NEWMAC All Conference honors three times, and earned New England DIII All Region honors three times. As a Track and field athlete he qualified for nationals once in the 1500m, earned New England DIII All Region honors eight times, earned All Division New England honors twice, and earned NEWMAC All Conference honors once. O’Connell also held the school record in the 1500m for 7 years before it was broken in 2018.
A 2013 Springfield College graduate, O’Connell earned a degree in Recreation and Sport Management, and completed his graduate master studies in 2015 when he earned a degree in Athletic Administration also from Springfield College.
He has also earned certifications in strength and conditioning, endurance specialist, jumps event specialist, sprints, hurdles, & relays specialist, and the level 1 technical track and field coaching certification, all from the USTFCCCA Track and Field Academy.
