Coach Mike Jackson enters his 11th season overseeing the men’s and women’s cross country/track & field teams at Ramapo College.
Under Jackson’s leadership, the Roadrunners have been a team to reckon with on the national scene, highlighted with 38 NCAA All-Americans (23 women, 15 men), including 5 individual NCAA Champions (3 women, 2 men). Most recently, Alexis Appezzato won the NCAA title in the women’s javelin in 2014, with a throw of 47.96m (157’ 4”). In 2013, the women’s team tied for 3rd overall at the 2013 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which was their highest team finish. The team accumulated 14 All-America honors during the 2012 – 2013 season. On the men’s side, Ackeme Brown placed 7th overall in the 100m dash in 2013 NCAA Championships, earning All-America honors. Dillon Rodgers, now the team’s throws coach, set a school record at NCAA in the javelin in 2012 with a mark of 66.73m (218’11”). Rodgers placed third overall.
Ramapo’s track team got its first taste of USA Track & Field when Anita Rogers competed at the 2011 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Albuquerque, NM. Rogers qualified for the 60-meter dash, and, as the only Division III sprinter, competed with the country and world’s best. Rogers also competed at USA’s again in 2014 in the long jump as a post-graduate. She placed 7th overall.
In 2013, Coach Jackson was named USTFCCCA Women’s Atlantic Region Head Coach of the Year honors for the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons. Jackson has also experienced much success within the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), highlighted by a 2012 Women’s NJAC Indoor Track & Field Championship victory. The win is the first-ever conference championship in the program’s history, as well as any women’s team at Ramapo College. In track & field, he's had over 50 Individual champions and hundreds of All-NJAC competitors. Jackson also gained the attention of his peers by being named conference Coach of the Year on seven occasions. Jackson was tabbed, most recently, as the Coach of the Year for Women’s Indoor Track in 2011-2012.
Jackson was named Director of Cross Country/Track & Field in the summer of 2013 after many successful seasons. To this end, a new Head Cross Country position was created. Justina Cassavell, was hired in the fall of 2013, and has already coached cross country’s first NCAA qualifier since 1989. Paul Juelis competed at the NCAA XC Championships in 2013. Prior to the new hire, coach Jackson led the men’s to its highest NJAC finish of 2nd place in 2009. Kyle Price was named the 2009 NJAC Cross Country Runner of the Year and is the first and only individual champion in school history.
Those who participate in Ramapo’s running programs show that they are true student-athletes through their work in the classroom. The women’s and men’s cross country teams and individuals were recognized by the USTFCCCA for their academic achievements in the fall of 2007 through 2013. Michelle Favre, a two-time NCAA Champion in the Pole Vault, was a finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, which covers all divisions and is one of the highest individual honors any student-athlete can achieve. Favre and Alexis Appezzato were both named USTFCCCA Division III Scholar Athlete of the Year in consecutive years (2013-2014).
After arriving in the fall of 2004, Jackson was named the first full-time cross country/track & field coach in Ramapo College history in October of 2006. In addition, Jackson was integral in the planning of renovations to the track & field facility. The facility, which didn’t have any repair since 1977, features an eight lane, all-weather track as well as all necessary field event areas. The project was completed in August of 2008.
Jackson is a 2004 graduate of Northeastern University where he earned a BS in Business Administration, with concentrations both in Human Resource Management and Marketing. He was a member of the Northeastern track & field team where he competed as a sprinter and jumper. During his athletic career, Jackson helped his team win the America East Indoor Championships in 2000-2002 and the outdoor championships in 2001 and 2002. He earned All-Conference honors while serving as the team’s captain. He also was a defensive back for the 2002 Atlantic 10 Champion football team. This was the team's first conference championship and NCAA playoff birth. After completing his eligibility, Jackson served as an assistant coach for the track team during the 2003-2004 season and helped lead the men's and women's programs to America East Championships.
Prior to his collegiate career, Jackson was an All-County sprinter at Hackensack High School. He led his team to the Indoor Group 4 Relay and Team Championships in 1999. He was also named Most Valuable Player during his senior year for all of athletics.
Jackson is a USATF Level 1 Certified Track & Field Coach and certified in First Aid/CPR. He was also the Chairman of the Olympic Sports Committee for the Black Coaches and Administrators Association for two years. He also served as the Atlantic Region Representative for the United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) from 2007-2009. He was also reappointed for the year in 2013. As region representative, Jackson was the point person for the Atlantic region, which covers all Division III programs in New Jersey and New York. He currently serves on the awards committee for the USTFCCCA.
Coach Jackson currently resides in Englewood, NJ.
2014-2015 season
