After joining the Ramapo program in 2013 as the head coach for men’s and women’s cross country, Justina Cassavell has been appointed the head coach for all running sports including men’s and women’s cross country and men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field.
Last season, Cassavell led the cross country teams to third place finishes on both the men's and women's side at the NJAC Championships. Ramapo had three top 10 finishes on the men’s side including junior Paul Juelis who led the pack as he crossed the finish line in 2nd place, finishing the 8k race in 26:07.26. Peter Tuohy was second for Ramapo and 5th overall, clocking in at 26:31.49, while rookie Jeremy Hernandez crossed the finish line right behind Tuohy in 26:35.24, for a 6th place finish. On the women's side Ramapo had two top 10 finishes. Emily Brock led the Roadrunners finishing the 6k race in 2nd place overall. Brock crossed the finish line in 22:48.76. Madison Bronstein placed 9th overall in 23:37.0. During the NCAA Atlantic Regionals, Ramapo jumped five spots in the men's overall finish to 14th overall. Juelis crossed the finish line in 25:36.8 for 15th place. For his efforts he was named to the 2014 NCAA Division III XC All-Region Team sponsored by the USTFCCCA.
Cassavell continued a successful season last year as the assistant coach for the track and field teams. With the long distance runners her team saw individual success from Hernandez, who was a four-time NJAC Champion in the indoor 800, mile and the outdoor 800 and 1,500. He was a two-time NJAC Most Outstanding Athlete and holds the NJAC record in the 1,500 and the 800. He also earned the outdoor ECAC Championship in the 800-meter earlier in the season and the 3,000-meter ECAC Championship during the indoor season. During indoor nationals, Hernandez earned All-American honors in the 800 placing 8th overall. He also earned All-American honors at the 2015 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships placing 3rd overall in the 800-meter run crossing the finish line in 1:52.90.
In her first season with the cross country teams in 2013, Cassavell took the programs to new levels of success. On the men’s side, Juelis was 1st team All-NJAC, All-Region and had the opportunity to compete at the 2013 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Hanover, IN. Juelis was the first NCAA Participant in cross country since 1989. On the women’s side, both Courtney Schofield (1st team) and Emily Brock (2nd team) were All-NJAC competitors. Schofield was named All-Region for her performance at the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships and led the women’s team to a 14th place finish, which was their highest finish in program history.
In track and field (‘13-’14), her distance runners broke three indoor records and four outdoor records on the women’s side. Lindsey McKee broke her own school record, as she was crowned champion in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the 2014 NJAC championships. At the same meet, Juelis, won the men’s 1500-meter run, improving from a 2nd place finish in 2012.
Cassavell has a proven track record in such a short time with the Roadrunner programs and brings a wealth of experience to the college after serving as the Head Coach of the Girls Cross Country/Track & Field Team at Voorhees High School from 1997 to 2012. She led the Voorhees Girls to three New Jersey State Meet of Champions Titles in 2007, 2008, and 2012. She has seen nine New Jersey State Group Championship Titles, and 13 New Jersey Sectional Championship Titles in her tenure with the program. In her 16 years with the Vikings, Cassavell won nine Skyland Conference Championship Titles, while the team qualified for the Meet of Champions every season, producing 14 top ten finishers, nine top five finishers, and six top three finishers. She led the team to a NXN Northeast Championship in 2010, while earning second place at the same championship in both 2007 and 2012. The Vikings also qualified three times for the Nike Team Nationals in 2007, 2010, and 2012, placing 13th overall in '07.
Cassavell was honored by the Newark Star Ledger as Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2012. She also is an eight-time recipient (2001, 2003, 2004, 2006 - 2008, 2010, 2012) of the Easton Express Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year Award, while earning NFHS Coaches Association Sectionals Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2007.
Besides her coaching the Voorhees Girls, Cassavell started a non-profit track and field club, Hunterdon Hawks Youth Track & Field Club, where she serves as President. She also serves as the camp director for Voorhees Summer Track and Field Camp.
She is a 1992 graduate of Rutgers University where she earned a degree in economics. She was a member of the Scarlet Knight cross country and track and field teams for four years. Cassavell was a NCAA provisional qualifier in 1991 for indoor track and field in the 800-meter run, with a time of 2:09.86. She received track and field All-East honors in 1989, 1990, and 1991, while earning a championship crown at the indoor Metropolitan Championships in the 800-meter in '91. She was named Rutgers Most Improved Runner in track and field in 1990.
2015-2016 Season
