Maureen Magarity enters her fourth season as the head women’s basketball coach at the College of the Holy Cross in 2023-24. Magarity is the seventh coach in program history and arrived on Mount St. James after spending 10 years as head coach at the University of New Hampshire. While at Holy Cross, Magarity has coached the Crusaders to a 72-41 (.637) record and a 45-23 (.662) mark in Patriot League play through four campaigns.
In just four seasons, Magarity has restored the storied tradition of the Holy Cross women's basketball program. She has guided the Crusaders to back-to-back Patriot League Tournament Championships (2023, 2024) and appearances in the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament (2023, 2024) including a First Four 72-45 victory against UT Martin in 2024. Holy Cross also has recorded three consecutive 20 win seasons under Magarity's tenure while in 2022-23, the Crusaders recorded the second most wins (24) in a single season in program history and in 2023-24, the Crusaders set the program record for wins at home in the Hart Center Arena (15).
Year four of the Magarity era in 2023-24 yielded the 13th Patriot League Tournament Championship in program history and the 13th Patriot League Regular Season Championship which their second over the last three seasons (2021-22). Magarity led Holy Cross to the second NCAA Tournament win in Patriot League history defeating UT Martin 72-45 in the First Four. On Nov. 29, 2023, Magarity recorded her 200th career victory, a 59-32 decision at Stonehill.
With Magarity at the helm, the Crusaders take pride on the defensive side of the ball. Magarity has coached two Patriot League All-Defensive team selections (Avery LaBarbera) and the first two-time selection in program history (Addisyn Cross). Holy Cross finished the 2021-22 season ranked second in the Patriot League in scoring defense (56.5) which ranked 19th in the NCAA.
During 2022-23, Magarity recorded her 50th victory at Holy Cross defeating Lehigh 71-54 in the Patriot League Tournament Semifinals en route to the conference championship. Holy Cross also recorded an eight game win streak, the longest in Magarity's tenure and the Crusaders tallied seven multiple possession comeback victories (seven or more points) including a 13-point third quarter comeback against Lehigh (Jan. 11, 2023).
In her second season on The Hill, Magarity was named the 2021-22 Patriot League Coach of the Year guiding the Crusaders to the 22nd 20-win season in program history and the first Patriot League regular-season championship since 2004-05. The Crusaders set the team record with 14 conference wins and made the WNIT Tournament for the first time since 2002.
Magarity earned her first win at Holy Cross against Army West Point against her father, Dave— in what was believed to be the first father-daughter coaching matchup in Division I history. In her first season on The Hill, Magarity led the Crusaders to their first win over Boston University since the 2018-19 season and the No. 5 seed in the Patriot League Tournament.
Under Magarity’s tutelage, Bronagh Power-Cassidy was an All-Patriot League second team selection and was joined by classmate Janelle Allen on the All-League third team in 2022-23. Guards Kaitlyn Flanagan (All-Rookie Team) and Addisyn Cross (All-Defensive Team) earned honrs in 2022-23 as well. In 2021-22, Avery LaBarbera was named the Patriot League Player of the Year and to the All-First Team while Addisyn Cross was an All-Defensive team selection. LaBarbera also earned 2021-22 ECAC Second Team honors as well. Bronagh Power-Cassidy was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year and to the All-Rookie Team in 2020-21. Additionally, Avery LaBarbera earned a spot on the All-Patriot League Second Team and All-Defensive Team, while Cara McCormack joined Power-Cassidy as an All-Rookie Team honoree.
Magarity brings a combined 21 years of Division I playing and coaching experience to The Hill, and has served as the head coach of the University of New Hampshire since 2010. The 2017 Kay Yow National Coach of the Year, she recorded 146 wins during her tenure in Durham – the second most by a head coach in program history.
The architect of a program-changing turnaround in Durham, Magarity made an instant impact upon arriving at UNH, posting winning records in three of her first five seasons and leading the Wildcats to the program’s first winning season since 2005-06. She would go on to take a program that won just 33 games in the four years prior to her arrival and guide it to a 93-60 record from 2013-18, including a combined 45 wins from 2016-18, the most victories in a two-year span in UNH’s history.
In 2016-17, Magarity led UNH to a 26-6 record en route to an America East regular-season title, also marking the program’s first 20-win season in more than 33 years and the second-biggest turnaround in Division I that season. The Wildcats recorded a school-record 13 consecutive victories and won 19 of their final 20 regular-season games on their way to the program’s first title since 1985. For its efforts, the team was awarded its first WNIT berth since 1999. Magarity, in addition to being named the Kay Yow National Coach of the Year, earned 2017 America East Coach of the Year honors, and was a finalist for the WBCA National Coach of the Year.
The 2017-18 season also saw great success, with the team going 19-12 overall. Both the Class of 2017 and the Class of 2018 posted 74-48 career records, marking the winningest senior classes in program history. In total, Magarity saw 18 all-conference selections in her time at the helm in Durham, including the 2017 America East Player of the Year (Carlie Pogue) and 2019 America East Rookie of the Year (Kari Brekke).
Magarity is no stranger to the Patriot League, having spent four seasons on the coaching staff at Army West Point from 2006-10, including the 2009-10 season as associate head coach. In Magarity’s four seasons at West Point, the Black Knights posted an overall record of 72-48, including a program-best 24-win campaign during the 2006-07 season. The Black Knights averaged 20 wins in each of her first three seasons on the staff, the best three-year span in program history.
Her coaching career began at Marist, where she was an assistant during the 2004-05 season. That season, the Red Foxes finished with a 22-7 record, the most wins in program history, and earned the regular-season MAAC title. Before joining the Army staff, Magarity also spent one season as an assistant at Fairfield.
Magarity played three seasons at Marist from 2001-04, serving as team captain her junior and senior seasons and leading the Red Foxes to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2004. She garnered two All-MAAC Second Team selections and was a 2004 MAAC All-Tournament Team honoree. She earned two MAAC Scholar-Athlete awards (2002, 2004) and received the James Pizzani Award for dedication and loyalty as a senior. Magarity began her collegiate playing career in 1999-00 at Boston College, where the Eagles reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Magarity earned a B.A. in communications and public relations from Marist in 2003 before earning her Master’s degree in public administration while at Marist in 2005.
