Maria Henly begins her second season as associate head coach of the Ursinus Cross Country and Track & Field teams. She came to Ursinus in the Summer of 2022 after serving as the head coach at Chestnut Hill.
Working with the Sprints, Jumps, and Hurdles, Henly helped guide the Ursinus Track & Field program to strong indoor and outdoor seasons that culminated with the second-straight Centennial Conference Outdoor Track & Field title for the men's team.
Along with Assistant Coach of Jumps/Hurdles Holly Sullivan and Assistant Coach of Pole Vault/Multi Kevin Clark, the Bears set four school records, two Centennial Championship meet records, and one Centennial Conference record in the 2023 Indoor Season. 13 Bears earned All-Centennial honors with eight being first team selections and Daniel Tabor was named the Centennial Conference Championship Men's Track & Field Most Outstanding Performer. In addition, seven student-athletes garnered All-Metro Region honors. The 2023 outdoor season brought in more accolades for the Bears with three school records, four Centennial Champions, the first Penn Relays wheel earned in program history from the 4x400 relay team, and the Ursinus coaching staff being named the Centennial Conference Men's Track & Field Coaching Staff of the Year. Henly helped coach Aiden Tobin to earn Most Outstanding Rookie of the Centennial Championship meet honors and seven All-Centennial honors. Six Bears between the men's and women's teams earned All-Metro Region honors from Henly's focused events and the 4x400 relay team of Collin Ney, Aiden Tobin, Daniel Tabor, and Payton Stanziani qualified for the NCAA Division III Championship Meet.
Henly made an instant impact on the Chestnut Hill Track & Field and Cross Country programs as she coached six track & field and two cross country student-athletes to gain All-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). Seven track & field school records fell in her two seasons coaching the team and Stickley coached the 2022 CACC Women's Field Athlete Rookie of the Year in Anastasia Watson. The Griffins women's cross country team finished fourth at the CACC Championship meet in the fall of 2021, the second-highest finish in program history.
Before becoming the head coach at Chestnut Hill College, Henly worked alongside Head Coach Melody O'Reilly of the St. Joseph's University Track & Field/Cross Country programs in the Fall of 2019. There, Henly assisted Coach O'Reilly with the implantation of specialized workouts for the Hawks female sprint, jump, and hurdle student-athletes.
Henly began her collegiate coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach with Temple University in 2016 before spending two years as an assistant at Xavier University. Henly helped coach Xavier's middle- and long-distance runners, while often assisting Coach David Payne with the Musketeers' sprinters and hurdlers. She coached multiple All-Big East performers during her time at Xavier and each cross country team finished in the top five at the Big East Championships.
Henly earned a bachelor's degree in health education and secondary education from Appalachian State in 2016 and was a member of the Mountaineer cross country and track & field teams. She helped her programs capture three SoCon team championships during her collegiate career.
