NE10 40th Anniversary Home Page
Ann McInerney has left her imprint all over NE10 women’s basketball, first as a student-athlete at Assumption, and then as a coach at both Bentley and Merrimack where she helped both programs capture NE10 Championships and NCAA Northeast Regional Titles.
McInerney was a basketball standout at Assumption from 1985-89 where she was a two-time NE10 First-Team All-Conference performer and the NE10 Player of the Year as a senior when she averaged 20.2 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. She still ranks seventh in school history with 1,406 points and is third all-time in rebounds with 1,076 in her career. She was also a two-time Second-Team All-Conference performer in softball, finishing with a .308 average and leading the Greyhounds to the program’s first NE10 Title in 1989.
Following graduation, McInerney began her coaching journey and eventually earned a spot onto the staff of Barbara Stevens at Bentley prior to the 1994-95 season. She spent five seasons with the Falcons as they amassed a 139-23 record while winning four NE10 Regular Season Championships and three Tournament Championships. Bentley also made four appearances in the Elite Eight and reached the National Semifinals once over that span.
McInerney left Bentley to take over a Merrimack program in 1999 which had endured 15 consecutive losing seasons and never finished higher than sixth in the NE10 standings. She turned around the program and 2003-04 the Warriors claimed the program’s first NE10 Title. They captured the regular season crown and then took down Bentley in the NE10 Tournament. The Warriors advanced all the way to the National Semifinals, before falling as they finished the year with a 31-4 record. Merrimack repeated as NE10 Regular Champions in 2004-05 but fell in the NE10 Title game to Bentley. However, they took down the Falcons in the Regional Final and advanced to their second straight National Semifinals, concluding with a 29-6 record.
Following a 60-10 record over her final two seasons at Merrimack, McInerney left to take the head coach position at Division I Maine. She coached at Maine for two seasons before eventually making her way back to Worcester, where she served on the women’s basketball staff at Holy Cross for 12 seasons, including the final as the interim head coach in 2019-20. McInerney returned to the NE10 in November of 2020 as she was named the Associate Head Coach of Bentley women’s basketball.
"Ann McInerney has definitely left her mark on the Northeast 10 as both a player and coach," said Assumption Women's Basketball Head Coach Kerry Phayre. "She was a dominant player at Assumption, but I came to know Ann as a Coach at Bentley & Merrimack. Ann is an outstanding recruiter who took the knowledge and success she had at Bentley and turned the Women’s Basketball program around at Merrimack in a very short time. She understands the game, she understands her players and she knows how to motivate them to be their best. But anyone who has met Ann knows it's her high energy personality that just makes you smile. I am proud that she is an Alumnae of our program and so happy that she has returned to once again coach in the NE10."
Ann McInerney Links of Note:
ABOUT THE NE10
Beginning its 40th anniversary season, the NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
