O'Neil graduated from Villanova with a degree in Sociology and has also worked as a clinical consultant with learning disabled individuals. O'Neil enters Saint Anselm a full year before the Hawks are scheduled to join the NE-10 as full time member. During the coming year, O'Neil will be in charge of recruiting efforts and building the program from the ground up. O'Neil does have the advantage of a fully functional facility in recently enhanced Melucci Field, that serves as home to the college's soccer programs in the Fall and the men's lacrosse program in the Spring. As part of the building of the program from the ground up, O'Neil's Hawks will play in a limited series of exhibition games in the Spring of 1999, allowing for a year of active recruiting, while giving incoming players a chance to gain experience and cohesion as a team.
Plans also call for the addition of an assistant coach to the program next season.
The addition of women's lacrosse will bring the total number of sports offered at the college to 18 continuing Saint Anselm's recent athletics expansion. Four new sports have appeared on the Hilltop since 1993 with men's lacrosse and volleyball while Football will kick off in the Fall of 1999 and women's lacrosse to follow the following Spring. The addition of one of the fastest growing sports in the nation to the college was not a hard decision, according to Paulauskas. It increases our overall sports offerings to student athletes but more important, it gives us another spring sport and increases opportunities for our female student athletes. Women's lacrosse is among the fastest growing women's sports in the nation.