O'BOYLE STEPS DOWN TO TAKE ASSISTANT COACH POSITION AT CANISIUS

Montclair, NJ (9/6/07) – Montclair State University head women's basketball coach Beth O'Boyle has stepped down from her position to become the first assistant coach at Division I Canisius College in Buffalo, NY.

O'Boyle heads to a Canisius program that went 16-14 during the 2006-07 season, the Golden Griffins' fifth straight winning campaign.

"I am extremely grateful to Holly Gera and the MSU community for providing me with the opportunity to work with such dedicated and talented student athletes and colleagues," said O'Boyle. "The experience that I have gained being a part of the MSU Athletic Department has played an intergal role in my development as a coach and will be a valuable assest as I begin the next chapter in my career."

O'Boyle guided MSU for the last three seasons compiling a 51-32 mark, a .614 winning percentage, posting an 18-10 record and the ECAC Metro Championshiop this past season. Only Maureen Wendelken reached 50 wins quicker in the history of the program and O'Boyle's victory total is fourth-best. Equally impressive was O'Boyle's record in NJAC play as Montclair went 33-14 (.706) during her tenure, including a 14-4 mark during the 2005-06 campaign - Montclair's best league record in seven years.

In addition to her career with MSU, O'Boyle also served as the head coach of two Division III All-Star teams that have competed abroad. Two years ago, O’Boyle guided her squad to a bronze medal at the 2005 Eastern University Games in Tamworth, Australia and in 2006 led a team that competed in the Brazilian Basketball Experience.

Arriving at MSU in 2004, O'Boyle led the Red Hawks to a 15-12 mark and berths in the NJAC and ECAC Tournaments. After the solid first season, O’Boyle's team stepped it up in 2005-06 as the Red Hawks recorded to an 18-10 overall mark, including the aforementioned 14-4 ledger in the rough-and-tumble NJAC finishing in second place. For the second straight year Montclair reached the postseason earning the No. 1 seed in the ECAC Tournament and advancing to the semifinals. She would be named the NJAC’s Co-Coach of the Year and also produced Montclair State first Division III All-American in 15 years as conference Player of the Year Stephanie Machin was named Honorable Mention by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). Machin would repeat the honor in 2007.

O’Boyle came to Montclair from the University of Rochester, where she served as an assistant coach for the Yellow Jackets for four seasons (2001-2004), including back-to-back NCAA Division III Final Four appearances in 2003 and 2004. Rochester won back-to-back ECAC titles in her first two seasons with the program.

As an assistant with Rochester, O’Boyle served as recruiting coordinator and was involved in the day-to-day operations of the basketball program, including on-the-floor coaching, practice planning, scouting opponents, and supervising academic progress.

In addition, O’Boyle was also Rochester’s Head Junior Varsity Coach, which she led to a perfect 9-0 mark in 2003-04 with wins over Alfred State University, Finger Lakes Community College and Roberts Wesleyan. She was in charge of all facets of the program, including scheduling, planning, running practices, and overall team management. Prior to her tenure at Rochester, O’Boyle spent the year as the Assistant Varsity and Head JV Coach at Elmira College where she helped guide the varsity to a NYSWCAA tournament bid.

A 1998 graduate of Gettysburg College, O’Boyle was a four-year letter winner for both the basketball and soccer teams. She also served two years as a captain for both programs and helped guide her teams to a Centennial Conference championship and three NCAA tournament appearances. In 2001, O’Boyle graduated from the University of Rochester’s Warner School of Education, where she completed her masters in teaching and curriculum.