Career Dual Record: 159-73 (23 seasons)
Eastern Sprints (EAWRC) Titles:
Varsity Eight: 3 (1987, 1989, 2003)
Second Varsity Eight: 1 (1992)
Varsity Four: 1 (1994)
NCAA Championship Appearances: 11
NCAA Championships: One (2003)
NCAA Team Selections: Eight (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008)
NCAA Varsity Eight Selections: One (1997)

In her 23rd spring of guiding the Radcliffe heavyweight crews in 2009, head coach Liz O'Leary has brought the Black and White to the pinnacle of women's collegiate rowing, and made Radcliffe a perrenial contender for national championships.

The recent run of excellence--her 2003 team captured the NCAA title, and her 2005 varsity followed that up with a bronze-medal finish--makes this one of the most successful eras of an already-proud tradition of Black and White crews.

O'Leary was appointed to her position at Radcliffe in 1986 and enjoyed immediate success by leading the first varsity to Eastern Sprints titles in 1987 and 1989. That success has continued throughout her tenure with winning seasons, top-finishing crews at Sprints, and appearances at national championships.

In 1997, O'Leary's varsity qualified for the inaugural NCAA Championships, winning the petite final to place seventh in the event. O'Leary's Radcliffe  heavyweights have qualified for the NCAA Championships regatta 11 times in the 12-year history of the event, 10 times as a team and once as a varsity eight.

The 2003 campaign was the pinnacle, however. Radcliffe was the toast of the town at Sprints, where they captured both the first varsity title as well as the Willing Team Points trophy, and at the NCAA Championships, where Radcliffe won the first varsity eight and team national titles. For her efforts with the Black and White, O'Leary was named the 2003 CRCA Division I Coach of the Year.

After a ninth-place varsity finish in 2004, the 2005 incarnation had a brilliant week of rowing in Sacramento, and edged hard-charging crews at the finish to take home a bronze medal, historically the second-highest finish for the program at the regatta.

O'Learly owns an impressive 159-73 dual-racing record and has guided Radcliffe to winning marks in 10 straight seasons.

O'Leary has coached highly successful crews who are dedicated to the ultimate goal of performance as a team, while nurturing a program where women can train for individual peak performances.

Twelve of O'Leary's Radcliffe athletes have competed on U.S. World Championship and Olympic teams. Most recently, Michelle Guerette '02 and Caryn Davies '05 rowed in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and the 2008 Games in Beijnn. Davies earned a silver medal as part of the eight in 2004. Davies, a member of the 2003 NCAA championship boat, then returned to Harvard after her Olympic experience to help pull the Black and White to the bronze at the 2005 NCAA regatta. She went on to take gold with the U.S. eight in Beijing, where Guerette won the bronze in the single.

A 1976 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, O'Leary brings a wealth of international rowing and coaching experience to Radcliffe. A member of the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Teams, she also competed for the U.S. on six World Championship Teams, medaling in three of them. O'Leary has coached the 1988 Olympic Team as well as seven World Championship teams from 1985 through 1997.

Prior to Harvard, O'Leary coached at UNH, and subsequently was the head coach of girls' crew at Brooks School in North Andover, Mass. In 1994, she was inducted into the UNH Hall of Fame. The O'Leary Cup, named in her honor, is presented annually to the winner of Radcliffe's annual race against Dartmouth and Syracuse.