WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. — Former Monmouth Vice President and Director of Athletics Dr. Marilyn McNeil, 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 Tuesday.

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.

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.

While at Monmouth, she saw the Hawks win 119 regular season conference championships and make 38 team appearances in various NCAA Tournaments.
 
To read more about all the Women Leaders in Sports 2026 Award nominees, click here.
 
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