The 2016 season marks the start of Gloria O'Connor's ninth year at the forefront of the Adelphi University field hockey program. O'Connor was named head coach by former vice president and athletic director Robert E. Hartwell in 2008, when the field hockey program returned to Adelphi. Over her tenure, she has compiled a 81-70 record and has led the team to six consecutive Northeast-10 Conference tournament appearances.
In 2015, O'Connor was tabbed the NE-10 Coach of the Year by her peers for the first time, after leading the team to a share of the NE-10 regular season title, the top seed in the conference tournament and their second consecutive NCAA berth. Senior Molly Cuevas was named NCAA Division II Statistical Champion in assists per game for the second straight year. Cuevas also earned First Team All-American honors and was a Third Team CoSIDA Academic All- American. Juniors Lena Pollich and Rachel Colvin both earned Second Team All-American honors.
In 2014, O’Connor led the Panthers to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time since 1981 after going 13-5 (8-3, NE-10) during the regular season. After falling to Stonehill in the NE-10 Tournament semifinal, O’Connor in the Panthers met #2 LIU Post in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but were defeated 3-1. Five Panthers received NE-10 All-Conference honors, and junior midfielder Molly Cuevas was named Longstreth/NFHCA Division-II First Team All-American.
In 2013, the Panthers finished with an 11-9 overall record and earned the program's second first-round home playoff game for the Northeast-10 Tournament title. They defeated Bentley in the first-round, on an overtime goal by Molly Cuevas to advance to the NE-10 semifinals. After suffering a 5-0 loss to the eventual 2013 NCAA National Champions of LIU Post, Coach O’Connor had several players earn post-season accolades. The squad saw three players named to NE-10 All-Conference teams, three earned Fall Academic All-Conference and the team took home the NFHCA Division II National Academic Team Award as well as the NE-10 Team Academic Excellence award with a 3.384 GPA. She also had one NFHCA second-team All-American in 2013.
In 2012, the Panthers earned the fourth seed for the NE-10 tournament and hosted their first-ever playoff game. They continued on to the semi-final where they suffered a 6-0 loss to Merrimack College. Head Coach O’Connor led the team to an 8-12 record and a 6-4 mark in conference play. Adelphi had a Rookie of the Year for the conference as well as 13 girls named to the NFHCA National Academic Squad. The team also held the title of NCAA Statistical Champion for defensive saves in 2012.
In her first four years at the helm of the program, Gloria O’Connor led the Brown and Gold to three Northeast-10 Conference Tournament appearances, had three players named All-American and eight named to NE-10 All-Conference teams, all while compiling a 35-36 record.
At the high school level, O’Connor achieved unparalleled success, posting a record of 146-18-21 that included nine league championships. She is also a member of the Long Island Field Hockey Coaches Hall of Fame (1990) and Carle Place High School Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach.
In addition, she has been involved in the Empire State Games over the years, first as the head coach of the Long Island scholastic field hockey team and then as the Long Island coordinator. O’Connor also coached varsity lacrosse at Carle Place, capturing five New York state titles and is also a member of the New York Metropolitan and Long Island Lacrosse Hall of Fame (2006). In addition, she has been honored with the Hofstra University Outstanding Contributions to High School Girls’ Athletics award and was a National High school Coach of the Year nominee in 1988. A long-time teacher and administrator, O’Connor is no stranger to Long Island schools, having spent time as a special education teacher at John Adams High School, an Athletic Director at Sewanhaka High School, an Assistant Principal and Principal at Floral Park Memorial Jr./Sr. High School and most recently as Superintendent for Personnel and Administration for the Sewanhaka District.
