Marianne Reilly returns to Manhattan as athletic director

Once one of the first cornerstones of Manhattan women's basketball, Marianne Reilly is back in Riverdale after being tabbed to lead Jaspers' athletic department. (Photo courtesy of Manhattan College Athletics)

She was the first female inductee into Manhattan College's Hall of Fame. Today, she became Manhattan's first female director of intercollegiate athletics, nearly a quarter-century later.

Marianne Reilly, a Class of 1982 alumna and the first 1,000-point scorer in the Jasper women's basketball program, was officially introduced in a ceremony Thursday morning at Draddy Gymnasium as the leader of an athletic department that holds 19 varsity teams under its umbrella.

"One of my first orders of business will be to spend time with the staff and student-athletes," said Reilly, who returns to Riverdale after a 30-year tenure at nearby Fordham University, where she ascended the ranks of the administration on the Rose Hill campus, starting out as the assistant director of intramural sports before ultimately becoming the Rams' associate athletic director and senior women's administrator. "I am fortunate enough to be leading a group of very motivated and talented administrative staff and coaches, and while they seem willing to set high expectations for their programs, they are hopefully setting high standards for themselves."

Reilly replaces Tom O'Connor, the former athletic director at George Mason who assumed the same title at Manhattan on an interim basis this past January following the departure of Noah LeFevre shortly after the calendar year began. She is the third female director of athletics in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, joining Dr. Marilyn McNeil at Monmouth and Belinda "Boe" Pearman at Saint Peter's.

"We will operate our athletic program with integrity and class," Reilly proudly stated when discussing her vision for Manhattan athletics. "Every decision that we make will be in the best interest of the student-athlete and his or her experience here. We will inspire and unify the Manhattan College community, telling our story with pride."

"Marianne Reilly brings to Manhattan an impressive record of accomplishment as an administrator and educator," Manhattan College president Dr. Brennan O'Donnell said in a release issued by the college. "As an accomplished student-athlete, a former coach, and as an alumna of the college, she has a deep understanding of what is needed to excel in this important position."

One of her initial projects will be to hire a new women's basketball coach, as the college decided not to renew the contract of John Olenowski after he guided the Jaspers to a 12-win improvement this past season. Regardless, the new captain of the Manhattan ship is eager to take the reins, and offered a positive and enthusiastic outlook on what is to come.

"I am thrilled to be home again," Reilly gushed. "I promise that we are going to do some special things here at the college, so hop on board."