HEAD COACH JAMES ROBINSON James Robinson enters his sixth season as head coach of the Rutgers women’s track and field team. Robinson previously spent an 11-year stint as an assistant at Rutgers. With more than a decade of experience, Robinson brings enthusiasm and technical understanding to the sprints, hurdles, jumping events and multiple events. He has been an invaluable asset to an already successful program and looks to continue the strong tradition of Rutgers track and field. THE ROBINSON FILE
COACHING EXPERIENCE Assistant Coach, Women’s Track and Field • 2005 NCAA East Region Assistant Coach of the Year for Sprints and Hurdles • Coached 2005 Mondo Mid-Atlantic Track & Field Female Athlete of the Year • Two NCAA All-America and five NCAA All-East performances • 11 NCAA qualifiers, including 2005 NCAA East Regional Long Jump Champion • Coached 2002 USATF Junior National All-American and 2004 US Olympic Trials participant
Head Coach, Women’s Track and Field • 46 Metropolitan Individual Event Champions • 15 NCAA Regional Participants • 16 All-BIG EAST performers • Two BIG EAST Individual Champions • 46 All-ECAC Performers • 13 School Records • Two USATF Junior National All-Americans (2007, 09) • Three NCAA Mid-Atlantic – District II Cross Country All-Region Runners • Two-time NCAA Division I All-Academic Track and Field • Three-time NCAA Division I All-Academic Cross Country • NCAA Division I All-Academic Performer • BIG EAST, American Eagle Outfitters Institutional ScholarAthlete of the Year
Robinson began his coaching career in 1995 as a volunteer assistant coach with the Rutgers men’s track and field team. During that time, the staff received recognition as the Co-BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year for the 1996 outdoor season.
The following season, Robinson joined the women’s coaching staff as a full-time assistant coach under long-time Scarlet Knight mentor Roberta Anthes. His responsibilities included coaching the sprints, hurdles, multis and jumping events. As an assistant coach, Robinson helped guide several consistent scorers in the sprint, hurdle and jump groups. His tutelage yielded a pair of NCAA All-America certificates, 11 NCAA qualifiers and five NCAA All-East Regional Performances, including a championship title in the long jump at the 2005 regionals. In addition, Robinson coached 11 BIG EAST Champions, seven ECAC Champions, 30 All-BIG EAST and 52 All-East (ECAC) selections. He also guided two Most Outstanding Performer award recipients at the ECAC Championships and has had 53 Metropolitan Conference Champions pass through the program. Among the most notable of the numerous standouts Robinson has coached during his career was two-time All-American Shameka Marshall. One of the most decorated and accomplished athletes in Rutgers women’s track and field history, Marshall graduated in 2006 with nine school records. She also made five trips to the NCAA Championships and competed at the Olympic Trials in 2004. In 2005, she was named the Mondo Mid-Atlantic District Athlete of the Year and ranked ninth in the nation in the long jump. Most recently, Marshall competed at the 2007 Pan Am Games in Brazil, earning a
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seventh-place finish in the long jump. In 2005, Robinson was recognized for his outstanding track record as a coach. He was named the NCAA East Region Assistant Coach of the Year for Sprints/Hurdles by the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The award was presented to only four coaches in the nation in that event area. Robinson took over the reins of the women’s program in June of 2006 following Anthes’ retirement after a 23-year tenure as head coach. Upon his hire, Robinson continued to build on the excellence that came to define Rutgers women’s track and field. In his first season as head coach, Robinson captured the 2007 Indoor and Outdoor Metropolitan Championship, produced two BIG EAST Conference champions, four NCAA Regional participants and a USATF Junior National All-American. His team also set three school records in his first year and since joining the Rutgers staff, Robinson’s athletes have established a total of 20 school records. His athletes have secured 20 individual medals at the Met Championship as well as five All-BIG EAST and 17 All-East (ECAC) performances during his short time at the helm of the program. This past fall Cheyenne Ogeltree, a cross country and track standout, advanced to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. It marked the first time since 2002 that a Rutgers runner qualified for the national championship meet. In addition to striving to achieve success in the track and field arena, Robinson continues to drive his student-athletes in the classroom as evident by his 30 BIG EAST Academic All-Star honorees. A 1995 graduate of Rutgers University, Robinson was a consistent scorer and runner-up in both the long jump and triple jump at the Metropolitan and Atlantic 10 Conference Championships in each of his four seasons as a Scarlet Knight. He served as a team captain and was the recipient of the Colin D. McManus Award, which is presented to the student-athlete who has demonstrated tremendous improvement through self-sacrifice and dedication. During his competitive years at Rutgers, Robinson was a nine-time qualifier for the IC4A Championships in both events and a member of three Metropolitan Championship teams. Robinson currently resides in Trenton, N.J.