Ann McInerney suffered through two difficult seasons with the University of Maine women’s basketball team.

On Wednesday, she resigned as the Black Bears’ head coach, effective May 12.

Barely a month after UMaine ended its second straight losing season – for the first time in modern program history – with a loss in the America East quarterfinals, McInerney submitted her resignation.

“I appreciate the University of Maine giving me the opportunity to coach here the last two years,” McInerney said in a written statement. “I wish nothing but the best for my players and their futures.”

McInerney, who did not explain the reasons for her decision in the statement, could not be reached for comment.

However, she has spoken openly about the difficulty of being five hours away from her close-knit family in her native Worcester, Mass.

UMaine athletics spokesman Brent Williamson said UMaine will immediately begin a national search for McInerney’s successor.

McInerney, who is in the second year of her original five-year contract, entered into an agreement and mutual release Wednesday with the University of Maine System.

The 21/2-page document stipulates the agreement is not to be construed as an admission of any wrongdoing on the part of either McInerney or the university, but a mutual decision to withdraw from their obligations and responsibilities to one another.

Williamson said the status of associate head coach Kathy Karlsson and assistants Colleen Carbone and Aliya Cox remains unchanged. Their annual contracts expire June 30.

Incoming coaches most often do not retain members of the previous staff.

The 39-year-old McInerney directed the Black Bears to a 23-34 overall record (.404). The Bears were 1-2 in conference tournament play, winning a 2006 preliminary game before bowing out in the quarterfinals each of the last two seasons.

“I want to thank Ann for her efforts on behalf of the University of Maine, its athletics department and our student-athletes,” said UMaine athletic director Blake James. “Ann is a talented coach and I wish her the best in future endeavors.”

During her first season, McInerney inherited a roster recruited by former coach Sharon Versyp, who departed to take the job at Indiana. The Bears went 10-19.

McInerney last season added five of her own recruits to the mix. UMaine finished 13-15.

Before the 2006-07 season had begun, McInerney ran into some problems off the court.

On Nov. 5, 2006, she was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Karlsson, who was arrested and charged with operating under the influence of intoxicants. During the incident, McInerney allegedly provided a state police trooper with a false last name of “Martin.”

Though she eventually gave him her correct name, McInerney was reprimanded in a Nov. 30 letter from UMaine President Robert Kennedy. She issued an apology Dec. 1.

Karlsson was subsequently suspended for three games by James. The jury trial for her OUI case is scheduled to begin next week at Penobscot County Superior Court in Bangor.

McInerney broke the news to her players during a Wednesday meeting in the team locker room at Memorial Gym.

“I think right now we’re all kind of like, whoa, is this really happening?” said junior guard Kris Younan, who will be the Bears’ only senior next season. “We’re still in the shock mode a little bit.”

Younan would not address whether there were any problems between McInerney and the players.

“It’s always tough losing a coach,” said Younan, who will play for her third coach in four years next season. “It’s hard because you’ve got to come back, meet another coach, go through that whole thing.

“If that’s something [McInerney] wants to do, we’ve got to respect that and deal with it,” she added. “We wish all four of them [the coaches] the best and we hope that they do well.”

Under the agreement with UMaine McInerney, whose salary is $95,000 for fiscal 2006-07, will be paid 30 days of her current salary starting Wednesday. As of May 12, when she will no longer be employed by the university, McInerney will continue to receive 12 monthly payments in the amount of her salary (which on July 1 increases to $100,000).

She agreed during the next year to seek a comparable level of employment in coaching, athletics, sports broadcasting or marketing, education or recreation, or other professional areas for which she is qualified. Once hired for such a job, the university will cease to compensate her, unless her pay is less than what she would have received from UMaine.

In that case, the university will pay her the monthly difference for the remainder of the agreement period.

UMaine also agreed James would provide positive, objective and factual references when asked for an employment recommendation.

McInerney arrived at UMaine after a stellar career at Division II Merrimack College in Andover, Mass. There, she directed the Warriors to a 119-65 mark in six seasons.

Merrimack made back-to-back trips to the NCAA Division II Final Four in 2003 and 2004. Her last season there, McInerney was named the Northeast 10 Conference, Northeast Regional and New England Basketball Hall of Fame Division II coach of the year.

From 1994-99, McInerney was an assistant coach at Division II Bentley College and she was an assistant for two seasons (1992-94) prior to that at Merrimack. McInerney began her coaching career as the head coach at Nichols College (1990-92).

McInerney is a 1989 graduate of Assumption College with a degree in education and psychology. She left the school as its all-time leading scorer with 1,406 points.