Rich O'Connor joined Montclair's Athletic Department in 2023 as an Assistant Coach for both Women's Cross Country and Track & Field, and then became the Head Coach for both programs, plus Men's Track & Field, in 2025.
In the fall of 2025, O'Connor helped guide Abigail Churchill to the best season by a cross country runner in the modern era of the program at Montclair. Churchill received USTFCCA All-Region and First Team All-NJAC recognition, becoming the first Red Hawk in the modern era to qualify for NCAA Division III Championships. She won a pair of meets in the early stages of the campaign, and became the first in program history to run a sub 22 minute 6K, doing so at NCAA Division III Metrio Region Championships with a school record 21:58.1.
O'Connor, who brings tremendous experience, worked primarily with the sprinters, jumpers, and hurdlers while serving as an assistant for former Head Coach Peter Tuohy. He was also the Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach at Mount Saint Dominic Academy from 2014-2020. At Mount Saint Dominic, O'Connor had numerous student-athletes break school records while qualifying for high-profile meets, such as the NJSIAAA Meet of Championships and national meets. A student-athlete at Stockton, O'Connor received All-NJAC laurels in the 4x800 while qualifying for the ECAC Championships.
