2015 NJAC CHAMPIONS
Entering the 2017 season, Bridgette Quimpo will start her fourth season at the helm of the Lady Roadrunner softball team, 13th overall in the college ranks. She joined the Ramapo staff in November 2013 as head softball coach and transportation coordinator. A former standout from the University of South Carolina Aiken, Quimpo came to Ramapo after serving a ten-year stint at New Jersey City University (2004-2013), where she led the Gothic Knights to two Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships. She left NJCU as the all-time winningest coach in the 34-year history of the softball program.
In just her second season (2015, first full season), she guided the Roadrunners to their first ever New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament Championship. As a result, Ramapo Softball earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in program history. Coach Quimpo led her team to a 28-14-1 overall record while finishing second in regular season play with a record of 13-4-1. The team far surpassed the pre-season rankings where the Roadrunners were picked to finish eighth overall as the dark horse in the conference’s “Pre-Season Coaches Poll”. Under Quimpo’s leadership, six players were named to the All-NJAC team including Melissa Moreno, Katrina Buczkowski, Jaclyn Lima, Grace Brennan, Danielle Saporito and Melanie Walling. In addition, three Roadrunners (Moreno, Buczkowski, and Lima) were tabbed National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region. Moreno was also honored as ECAC Division III Metro All-Star.
During the 2014-15 academic year, Quimpo’s players were recognized for their outstanding achievements in the classroom. Seven student-athletes were named to the NFCA All-Academic squad for achieving a 3.5 GPA or higher. Leading the team was Mikayla Melendez, who earned the CO-SIDA Capital One Academic All-District 1st Team across all NCAA Divisions for her combined performance on the field and in the classroom while holding a 3.91 grade point average. The softball team also finished with a 3.25 GPA.
In her first season with the Roadrunners, Quimpo led the team to an 18-17 overall record, 8-10 in conference play. Sophomore Melanie Walling was named All-NJAC 2nd Team, while 11 Roadrunners were named to the NFCA All-Academic squad.
As a player, Quimpo was part of the 2003 ASA National Championship Team with the NJ Divas and is a Two-Time ASA 1st Team All-American while earning a U.S. Olympic Team Try-out. She has been a speaker for various events that include the 2007 Big Apple Frozen Ropes Coaches Convention and the 2009 (NFCA) National Fastpitch Coaches Convention. Active in the professional fastpitch circuit, Quimpo is a national clinician, working numerous camps/clinics alongside US Olympic Softball players, Division I coaches, and professional athletes. Some of her work includes the University of Alabama, Louisiana State University, University of South Florida and more. She has made an impact training some of the top high school athletes in the country.
A 1997 graduate of Carteret High School, Quimpo led her team to the Central Jersey Group II State Championship in 1996. In 2002, she returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach and guided them to the same title. In 2008, Quimpo was inducted into her High School Hall of Fame.
Quimpo is a member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), and has served two years on the NCAA Division III Atlantic Region Committee.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
“Coach Quimpo transcends the role of a college coach. She encourages her players to be better athletes, students, and people, and provides them with all the necessary tools to do just that. She has made me stronger both physically and mentally and playing for her was an absolute privilege. Her passion, knowledge, and inspiration come together to make an exemplary and irreplaceable person and coach”. – Kim LaPenta, Ramapo 15’
“Coach Quimpo is more than just a coach—she is a mentor, an advisor, a counselor, role model and most importantly now a friend. I have watched Coach change the lives of many people and I am a better person because of her. Anybody who crosses paths with her is truly blessed because if you allow her, she will show you a higher meaning of life the best way she can.” — Christen Hall, NJCU 10’
“The program that Coach Quimpo built is like a factory for building great people, great softball players, responsible adults and a network of family that no one else in this world can feel or be a part of. When you leave her program after four years you are prepared for all (good and bad) that life has to offer and you leave knowing that she will always be a permanent support in your life.” — Susie Matsutani, NJCU `08
“Coach is the definition of a great person. She has taught me so much about softball when I thought I already knew it all. More importantly is the life lessons I learned from her. She definitely has a huge impact on my life and I wouldn’t be who I am today without her. Making me a better player was a small piece of it, making me a better person was the whole picture.”— Lacey Skowronski, NJCU `09
“Coach Bridgette is one of the hardest working, most dedicated coaches I have ever played for. She has the ability to bring out the best in a player. When you play for her, you want to give 100% of your effort because that is what she gives. She believes in you and makes you believe in yourself. It is because of her understanding of the game, her patience, and willingness to help me succeed, that has allowed me to become the player I am today.” — Lauren Gibson (Tennessee 13’; 2013 SEC Player of the Year; NFCA First-Team All-American and U.S. National Team member)
“When I first met Bridgette, I saw her as an enthusiastic coach who was constantly trying to get her team better with a relentless passion. But, what I started to realize the more I was around her was that she was not just increasing the physical abilities of her softball team, but she was also continuously impacting their lives and making them see the better person they could become. By doing this, she wasn't just 'Coach' to her players during the short confines of a season, she instead became a lifelong coach and friend to anyone who was fortunate enough to cross her path.” — Cassie Reilly-Boccia (Alabama 12’; 2012 NCAA Division I National Champions)
“Bridgette Quimpo is the most inspirational coach I’ve ever worked with. She’s positive and encouraging and she pushed me harder than anyone I know. She not only made me a better athlete physically, but mentally and the mental strength she helped me find has been more valuable than ever imagined” — Courtney Liddle (National Pro Fastpitch player)
2017 Season
