The Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Coach of the Year is a basketball award given to head coaches in the Northeast Conference (NEC). The award is granted to the head coach voted as the most successful coach of the season by the league's coaches. The award is named in honor of Brenda Reilly, a teacher, sports administrator and three-sport coach in a career of almost three decades at Central Connecticut State University.
The award was first presented following the 1986–87 season, marking the inaugural year of NEC-sponsored women's basketball. Kevin Jones of St. Francis Brooklyn was the inaugural recipient. The program with the most awards is Robert Morris, whose father-son duo of Sal and Charlie Buscaglia have garnered all of the Colonials' seven awards, but Robert Morris left the NEC for the Horizon League after the 2019–20 season. Among current NEC members, Saint Francis has the most awards with five. Sacred Heart, also with five awards, left after the 2023–24 season for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Winners
SeasonCoachSchoolConferenceRecordConferenceStandingOverallRecordPostseasonSource(s)1986–87Kevin JonesSt. Francis (NY)9–75th14–151987–88Mickey McGladeMonmouth1988–89Gela MikalauskasWagner1989–90Bill SheahanMount St. Mary's1990–91Susan DeKalbMonmouth1991–92Bill Sheahan (2)Mount St. Mary's1992–93Sharon BeverlyFairleigh Dickinson14–4T–1st15–121993–94Bill Sheahan (3)Mount St. Mary's1994–95Jenny PrzekwasSaint Francis (PA)1995–96Bill Sheahan (4)Mount St. Mary's1996–97Jenny Przekwas (2)Saint Francis (PA)1997–98Irma Garcia St. Francis (NY)5th11–161998–99Vanessa Blair Mount St. Mary's1999–2000Patty Delehanty LIU Brooklyn2000–01Tricia Sacca-FabbriQuinnipiac12–616–132001–02Myndi HillSaint Francis (PA)2002–03Myndi Hill (2)Saint Francis (PA)2003–04Ed SwansonSacred Heart2004–05Sal BuscagliaRobert Morris2005–06Tricia Fabbri (2)Quinnipiac15–322–82006–07Stephanie Gaitley LIU Brooklyn2007–08Ed Swanson (2)Sacred Heart2008–09Ed Swanson (3)Sacred Heart22–42009–10Sal Buscaglia (2)Robert Morris2010–11Susan Robinson FruchtlSaint Francis (PA)2011–12Ed Swanson (4) Sacred Heart 15–31st25–8NEC ChampionsNCAA first round 2012–13Tricia Fabbri (3)Quinnipiac18–01st30–3NEC ChampionsNCAA first round2013–14Sal Buscaglia (3)Robert Morris14–41st21–12NEC ChampionsNCAA first round2014–15Beryl PiperCentral Connecticut14–4T–1st19–12NEC Semifinals2015–16Jessica MannettiSacred Heart 16–21st20–13NEC FinalsWNIT first round2016–17Charlie Buscaglia Robert Morris14–41st21–10NEC ChampionsNCAA first round 2017–18Charlie Buscaglia (2)Robert Morris16–21st25–8NEC FinalsWNIT first round2018–19Charlie Buscaglia (3)Robert Morris16–21st22–10NEC ChampionsNCAA first round 2019–20Charlie Buscaglia (4) Robert Morris 17–11st 23–7 NEC Champions 2020–21 Maria Marchesano Mount St. Mary's 14–4 1st 17–6 NEC ChampionsNCAA first round 2021–22 Angelika Szumilo Fairleigh Dickinson 15–3 1st 19–12 NEC SemifinalsWNIT first round 2022–23 Angelika Szumilo (2) Fairleigh Dickinson 14–2 1st 24–8 NEC FinalsWNIT first round 2023–24 Mary Grimes Le Moyne 14–2 2nd 18–12 NEC FinalsWNIT first round 2024–25 Stephanie Gaitley Fairleigh Dickinson 16–0 1st 29–4 NEC ChampionsNCAA first round 2025–26 Stephanie Gaitley (2) Fairleigh Dickinson 18–0 1st TBD TBD
Winners by school
School Winners Years Robert Morris 7 2005, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Mount St. Mary's 6 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2021Saint Francis (PA) 5 1995, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2011 Sacred Heart 5 2004, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2016 Fairleigh Dickinson 5 1993, 2022, 2023, 2025, 2026Quinnipiac 3 2001, 2006, 2013 St. Francis Brooklyn 2 1987, 1998 LIU 2 2000, 2007 Monmouth 2 1988, 1991 Central Connecticut 1 2015 Le Moyne 1 2024 Wagner 1 1989 Bryant 0 — Chicago State 0 — Mercyhurst 0 — Merrimack 0 —
References