The Viking Legacy
Coach Justina Cassavell
Coach Justina Cassavell
Coach Justina Cassavell
In her 16 years at VHS, Coach Cassavell built one of the best XC programs in NJ state history. From 1997 to 2012, she led her Viking girls' XC teams to three NJ Meet of Champions titles, 9 state group titles, 13 state sectional titles and three trips to the Nike XC national championships in Portland , Oregon. Her teams also hold the the t
In her 16 years at VHS, Coach Cassavell built one of the best XC programs in NJ state history. From 1997 to 2012, she led her Viking girls' XC teams to three NJ Meet of Champions titles, 9 state group titles, 13 state sectional titles and three trips to the Nike XC national championships in Portland , Oregon. Her teams also hold the the top two team averages ever run at Holmdel Park. In track, Cassavell led Voorhees to several sectional and state indoor and outdoor titles, and in 2002, her 4x800 squad won the Adidas Outdoor National Championship. Her teams had a remarkable streak of 15 straight years of qualifying for the 4x800 at Penn Relays. Justina is currently the coordinator of cross country and track & field for the men and women at Ramapo College.
Melanie Thompson
Coach Justina Cassavell
Coach Justina Cassavell
As a sophomore, Lanie Thompson won every XC meet she competed in, including Group and MOC titles, and culminating with a 13th place finish at the Nike National Championships. Overall from 2006-2009, Lanie won six career titles at the NJ Meet of Champions. She was the individual XC champion twice, the 3,200m champion three times (indoors a
As a sophomore, Lanie Thompson won every XC meet she competed in, including Group and MOC titles, and culminating with a 13th place finish at the Nike National Championships. Overall from 2006-2009, Lanie won six career titles at the NJ Meet of Champions. She was the individual XC champion twice, the 3,200m champion three times (indoors and outdoors) and won the outdoors 1,600m as a senior. She also won 9 Group and 8 sectional championships in XC and T&F. At the University of Oregon, Thompson set the school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and was a two-time All-American in the event.
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Chris Romero
Coach Justina Cassavell
Chris Romero
Sophomore Chris Romero's breakout XC season came in 2015. Of the 10 meets he competed in, he finished in the top three six times, with his lowest finish being 12th place at the Nike Northeast Championships. During his 2017 senior XC season, Chris had 10 top three performances, highlighted by championships at Sectionals and the Nike Nort
Sophomore Chris Romero's breakout XC season came in 2015. Of the 10 meets he competed in, he finished in the top three six times, with his lowest finish being 12th place at the Nike Northeast Championships. During his 2017 senior XC season, Chris had 10 top three performances, highlighted by championships at Sectionals and the Nike Northeast Regional Championships. In track, Chris won three sectional 1600m titles (2 outdoor and 1 indoor), an indoor sectional 3200m title, a Group outdoor 1600m championship and was runner-up at the 2018 outdoor MOC in the 1600m. Chris continues to run for the University of Pennsylvania.
Liz Wort
Katie Petruzzellis
Katie Spratford
Despite her success in field hockey, Liz opted for cross-country and track and field her senior year and truly excelled. In 2002, she won the outdoor Meet of Champions title in the 3,200 and was a member of the Voorhees 4x800-meter relay team that ran 7:59 and won a national title. She went on to continue her career at Duke University, where she was a three-time All-American and set the school record of 9:51.76 in the steeplechase. Liz won the 2007 NCAA East Regional in the steeplechase to become Duke’s first East Regional champion in addition to serving as team captain for three seasons. After college, she coached XC and T&F at both Duke and Texas Christian University.
Katie Spratford
Katie Petruzzellis
Katie Spratford
Katie had top ten finishes at the XC and Outdoor MOC her 2007-08 senior year. Her 2007 Voorhees XC team still holds the fastest team time ever (19.01) at Holmdel! But it was her collegiate career, at the University of Richmond and Shippensburg University, where she truly flourished. At Shippensburg, Katie was an 8-time Division 2 All-American, 8-time PSAC Conference XC, Indoor, and Outdoor champion, and the 2012 Division 2 Atlantic Region XC champion. Katie continued her successes professionally after college, where she was a 5-time Team USA XC member and had 3 top-10 finishes at the USATF National Championships. She was the 2019 5000m champion at the Penn Relays and an Olympic marathon qualifier in 2020. Since Shippensburg, Katie has worked extensively to promote and coach youth XC and T&F programs in both Rhode Island and Arizona. She currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she continues to compete professionally and is the head XC coach at Notre Dame Prep School.
Katie Petruzzellis
Katie Petruzzellis
Katie Petruzzellis
An extremely versatile athlete, Katie Petruzzellis established herself as a gifted runner, sprinter, hurdler, and jumper while at Voorhees, scoring 3 sectional championships, 1 state championship and and eight additional top-10 finishes at the State Championships across all four disciplines. In 2007, she placed 46th at the Nike Cross Nationals, helping her team take 13th place nationally. Katie continued her success at Villanova University where she was one of the top multi-event performers in school history. She graduated as the school record holder in the pentathlon and ranked second on the all-time Villanova performance list in the heptathlon. She also ranked fourth in the high jump and was tied for seventh in the long jump. Katie was a three-time BIG EAST champion and five-time All-BIG EAST performer.
Photo Gallery (Click on the photos)
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