For the last 28 years, Jackie Neary has compiled an impressive record as head coach of the women’s lacrosse team at Cabrini University. On July 1, she brings her coaching and recruiting talents to the same role at Neumann University.
Neary’s coaching achievements are staggering. Under her leadership, the women’s lacrosse team at Cabrini amassed an overall record of 351-158. During those same 28 years, the team’s conference record was an even more incredible 241-11 (a 95.6% win rate).
Her lacrosse squads won 22 conference championships and made 21 trips to the NCAA tournament. She won 17 conference Coach of the Year honors and ranks second in wins among active Division III women’s lacrosse coaches in the country. Her 2019 team won the ECAC title, defeating Drew University in the championship game.
In addition to lacrosse, Neary also coached the Cabrini field hockey team, notching a 283-251 career mark.
Cabrini closed this year, but Neary’s passion for coaching remained intact. “I am very excited about the opportunity to come to Neumann,” she says. “To be able to find a similar place to land is amazing.”
According to Dr. Chris Domes, president of Neumann University, “Jackie Neary is a generational coaching talent. Her legacy of sustained success is extraordinary, and her three-decade track record of helping young women reach their potential is unmatched. We welcome her to the Neumann family with open arms.”
With local roots that stretch back to her time as a lacrosse player at Ridley High School and Temple University, Neary was looking for a position that would keep her in the area.
“I’m Delaware County through and through,” she admits, “and I wanted to stay in higher education. I appreciate the maturity of college girls, and I value the relationships that I have with college athletes and their families.”
She believes her success is the result of her authenticity and the trust she develops with her players.
“I work very hard to articulate our plans, and players value that honesty,” she explains. “For instance, I’m not afraid to have a tough schedule. I’d rather have a tough loss than an easy win because you gain so much more by playing top teams. I always focus on developing players, not just improving our record.”
Neary plans to call every player on the women’s lacrosse team at Neumann to get to know them and to convey her passion for coaching.
In addition to her role as head coach, she will also have administrative duties as an assistant athletic director.
As a lacrosse player, she was a part of four Temple University teams to reach the NCAA Final Four, helping the Owls to two national championship games and winning the title with a 6-4 upset of the University of Maryland in 1984.
She has been inducted into the Ridley High School, Delaware County, and Cabrini University Halls of Fame.
Neary confesses that she has often turned to an inspirational quote to help her clarify her future: “You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.”
Her next chapter begins July 1 at Neumann.
To learn more about Neumann University athletics, visit www.neumannathletics.com.