Stonehill College Skyhawks

Karen Boen has built the men’s and women’s cross country and track and field programs into one of the elite programs at the Northeast-10, East Regional and NCAA Division II levels. The most successful head coach Stonehill has known, Boen has led the six programs to a combined 22 Northeast-10 Championships, including an unprecendented four alone in 2013-14.

In addition to 19 NE-10 titles, the men’s and women’s cross country programs have won a combined 15 NCAA Division II East Regional championships, with the women’s program qualifying for the NCAA Division II Championships 14 straight years, the last 11 of which it has also been joined by the men’s program. Boen took over women’s cross country in 1998 and led them to a runner-up finish at the NE-10 Championships in her second season at the helm in 1999, a position the team hasn’t finished lower than since, winning a Conference record matching 12 of the last 14 NE-10 women’s championships, including a present streak of five straight. She has also led the women’s cross country team to 12 East Regional championships over the last 14 years.

Boen took over the men’s cross country team in 2000 and had back to back runner up finishes at the NE-10 Championships after two years before winning the NE-10 title seven times over the last ten years, including each of the last three seasons, never finishing lower than second since 2002. The men have won three East Regional championships to go with seven runner-up finishes at the regional meet.

Boen has served as head coach of the women’s track & field program since 1999 and the men’s program since 2000. Her success with those programs has culminated with three NE-10 Championships over the last two seasons, including a sweep of the women’s indoor and outdoor titles in 2013-14 after winning the men’s indoor championship in 2013. Nearly every school record has been broken by Boen’s student-athletes during her tenure, and she has coached multiple All-American, All-New England, and All-Conference honorees. Corey Thomas won the program’s first National Championship when he captured the indoor high jump title in 2011.

Boen’s Coach of the Year honors are plentiful, being named NE-10 Coach of the Year for women’s cross country 11 times, men’s cross country five times and men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track & field four times combined. She has also been named East Region Coach of the Year by the USTFCCCA a combined 17 times for cross country and track and field, ten alone for women’s cross country. Boen has coached 50 All-Americans and produced three fellow inductees to the Stonehill Athletics Hall of Fame.