Head Coach J.J. Cusick

J.J. Cusick recently completed his fourth season as the head men’s and women’s cross-country coach at Centenary College.

Cusick's 2011 team featured a healthy mix of quality performances from seniors as well as improvement from juniors and sophomores, and a promising future shown by freshman.

The women's team was led by senior Chelsea Gummerson who had top 20 finishes at the Mule-Falcon Invitational and the Keystone Invitational ad concluded her year at the ECAC Championships. Freshman Carolyn LaRue, aslo competed at the ECAC Championships and finished 23rd at the St. Joe's-Patchogue meet.

The men were led by Anthony LaManna, a frehman who finished 12th at the Mule-Falcon Invitational and finished 23rd out of 131 runners at th Mount Saint Mary Invitational. Sophomore Rob Ambrose finished the St. Joe's-Pachogue meet in 31st place out of 117 racers and went on to compete in the ECAC Championships.

The 2010 campaign proved to be a successful one for the Cyclones. Cusick guided both the men’s and women’s teams to better performances in the 2010 Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Championships from the previous season, as the men’s team placed fifth and the women finished in eighth-place. 

The men’s squad was led by senior Chad Lepes and junior Brian Dunphy. Lepes concluded his career at Centenary with a stellar senior year that included a fourth-place finish in the Keystone Invitational, while also finishing 30th in the CSAC Championships. Meanwhile, Dunphy continued to be a steadfast contributor to the squad by placing as high as third in a race (Keystone Invitational), while also finishing 15th in the CSAC Championships. Freshman Rob Ambrose burst onto the scene in his rookie campaign, culminating in a 19th place finish in the CSAC Championships. Lepes, Dunphy and Ambrose also represented Centenary at the NCAA Atlantic Regional Cross Country Championships in Oneonta, N.Y.

The women’s team was led by junior Chelsea Gummerson, who paced the improved squad throughout the season. Gummerson earned CSAC Runner of the Week on Oct. 25 after placing 31st out of 158 runners with a time of 23:25 in the St. Joseph Invitational, averaging a 7:32 mile. Gummerson concluded her season by finishing 24th out of 79 total runners in the CSAC Championships. Freshman Kelly Pascarella had a standout season in her rookie campaign and put together several noteworthy races, including a 10th place finish at the Keystone Invitational. Pascarella also finished a respectable 44th place in the CSAC Championships.

In 2009, Cusick guided the team to several impressive finishes, including a first-place run by Dunphy at the Falcon Classic at Cedar Crest in Allentown, Pa., that helped the team finish fourth and earned the junior Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Runner of the Week honors. The men’s and women’s squads also battled in the CSAC Championships as the men finished eighth and the women ninth.

During Cusick’s first season at the helm, he helped Gummerson place seventh at the CSAC Championships, earning her First Team All-Conference accolades. She moved on to compete in the NCAA Regionals, finishing 146th out of 218 runners.

Cusick guided the Cyclones to success during the season as well, including a 13th-place finish out of 20 teams for the women in the Delaware Valley Invitational and a fifth-place finish out of seven teams for the men at Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) foe Keystone.

 Cusick took over as the interim cross-country coach in the fall of 2007 for the second half of the season. As the interim coach, Cusick handled the recruiting and managed the program in the off-season. 

Cusick is a graduate of Immaculata High School in Somerville, N.J., and Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. In addition to his coaching duties he also serves as the Athletic Administrative Assistant. In his spare time Cusick competes in local races around the state of New Jersey.