McNeil Announced as Women Leaders in Sports Lifetime Achievement Honoree

Former Monmouth Vice President and Director of Athletics Marilyn McNeil, Ed.D, who retired from the University after a 53-year career in 2021, was announced as a Nike Lifetime Achievement Award honoree by Women Leaders in Sports on Aug. 4.

Women Leaders in Sports' Nike Lifetime Achievement Award is given annually to professionals who dedicated their careers to advancing women in sports. McNeil will be honored alongside three others which includes former Cal State East Bay Director of Athletics Debby DeAngelis, former North Carolina Central University Director of Athletics Dr. Ingrid Wicker McCree and former Hampton University and Norfolk State track and field and cross country head coach Phyllis LaVerne Sweat. All four women will be recognized at the 2026 Women Leaders in Sports National Convention in Chicago Oct. 12-14.

McNeil had an illustrious 53-year tenure within college athletics, having been a collegiate athlete and former collegiate head coach, she then served as an administrator and spent 28 years at the helm of the Monmouth Athletics Department, serving as the first female athletic director at any New Jersey college or university when hired in 1994. During her tenure at Monmouth, McNeil saw the Hawks win 119 regular season conference championships and make 38 team appearances in various NCAA Tournaments.

Additionally, McNeil served on the Division I NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics and Management Council, as well as held the office of President for National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA) where she was named as the 2011 Division I-A-AA Administrator of the Year.

In 2023, McNeil was honored by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) as a member of the Association's Hall of Fame.

Shortly after her retirment in 2021, the Monmouth University Board of Trustees announced the dedication of the Dr. Marilyn A. McNeil Arena in recognition of McNeil's longstanding service to the University and her profound impact on countless student-athletes. The naming was also supported by a generous commitment from Bob and Myrna Raskin '87M, '95M which provided significant enhancements to the facility.