Athletics

Athletics and physical education programs are an essential element of The O’Neal School’s experience. Student-athletes benefit physically, psychologically, and socially. They learn skills and practice habits that help maintain lifelong health and fitness.
 
Our athletic programs focus on building the essential skills and personality traits to develop student-athletes into high performing people. We create a climate of teamwork, cooperation, and sportsmanship while encouraging students to develop new skills and talents, often with dramatic results. The athletic program engages our students in developing teamwork by driving toward common goals and learning how personal sacrifice can benefit the whole. Each student-athlete is asked to contribute to a program designed to challenge themselves as well as to learn the art of self-advocacy, build self-esteem, and confidence.
 
The O’Neal School has a rich tradition of hard work and fair play. O'Neal's interscholastic athletic schedules are very competitive. Frequently, teams compete against much larger schools. As a result of sound coaching, hard work, talent, and quality sports performance instruction our teams and student-athletes compete for conference and state championships regularly. O’Neal annually ranks as a top athletic program in the NCISAA, winning the Wells Fargo Award representing the #1 athletic department among Division 2A independent schools in North Carolina. The list of O’Neal alumni who have continued their passion for athletics after leaving O’Neal is an outstanding one. Graduates have competed at the collegiate level and also a select few O’Neal alumni have worked to enjoy professional sports careers. Most importantly, O’Neal competes with pride and is dedicated to sportsmanship in victory as well as in defeat.
 
O’Neal is a member of the North Carolina Independent Athletic Association (NCISAA) and, beginning 2023/2024 school year, the Sandhills Athletic Conference (SAC). O’Neal’s full range of varsity and junior varsity teams in the middle and upper divisions includes 13 sports and 25 teams.

Athletics News

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The O'Neal School admits students of any race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by law to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by law in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.