J.J. Hunter enters his fourth season in charge of the men’s sprint/hurdle/jump/multi-event group. During his tenure and under his leadership, Hunter has developed nine Ivy League sprint/hurdle champions, eight NCAA regional qualifiers, three Penn record holders, and eight Academic All-Americans. Additionally, his athletes have produced 15 top-10 all-time Penn performances, and combined to form the No. 1 ranked 100m and 200m event groups in the Ivy League two years running.
2019 was an award-winning season for Hunter as he was named Men’s USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Assistant Coach of the Year for the indoor season. During the indoor campaign, Calvary Rogers set the 200m program record and subsequently captured his third consecutive 200m Ivy League title. Not to be outdone, Marvin Morgan ran the fastest 60m dash in program history and won his first Ivy League title in the same event. Led by this duo, Hunter’s group scored 55 of the 110 total points scored by the men’s team. Hunter’s indoor 200m event group finished the season ranked No. 1 in the Ivy League.
Moving outdoors, Morgan ran the program’s fastest all-conditions 100m (10.36w) since 1984 and led a 1-2 finish with Rogers in the Ivy League 100m dash final. Rogers continued his dominance of the 200m by recording the third-fastest all-conditions time in Ivy League history (20.54w) in March and later secured his third straight 200m Outdoor Ivy League title. Rogers was named the Most Outstanding Track Performer at the Ivy League Outdoor Heps Championship and finished his career as one of the most decorated sprinters in Ivy League history with six individual championships. Anthony Okolo had another strong season in the 400 hurdles in advancing to the NCAA East Regional quarterfinals on the strength of a 51.10 performance that ranks fourth all-time at Penn. Okolo’s performance was the fastest time at Penn since 1987. Cristian Constantin continued to lead the horizontal jump group by placing 17th at the NCAA East Regional with a personal-best mark of 15.54m.
In 2018, Coach Hunter’s 100m and 200m event groups finished the season ranked No. 1 in the Ivy League by the USTFCCCA. He qualified three individual athletes for the NCAA East Region Preliminaries in the 200m (Calvary Rogers), 400m hurdles (Anthony Okolo), and triple jump (Cristian Constantin). At the Outdoor Ivy League Championships, Hunter’s group accounted for 60 of Penn’s 142 points scored, leading the men’s team to their highest team finish in 12 years.
Calvary Rogers earned his second consecutive Ivy League 200m championship and added a third-place finish in the 100m. Sophomore Anthony Okolo captured the 400m hurdle title in 51.79, which currently stands as eighth all-time at Penn and the first title earned in that event for Penn in 15 years. Marvin Morgan continued his strong freshman year by taking fourth place in the 100m and fifth place in the 200m. For the first time in 17 years, Penn had two podium finishes in both the 100m and 200m (Rogers and Morgan, respectively). Freshman Cristian Constantin leaped to 15.39m in the triple jump for third place. Earlier in the season, Rogers equaled the Penn 200m record of 20.90 and became the sixth-fastest athlete in Ivy League history. Rogers and Morgan each entered their names in the Penn 100m all-time top 10 at seventh and eighth, respectively. Morgan’s performance made him the fastest freshman in Penn history. Additionally, the 4x400m relay team of Jeff Wiseman, Ryan Bender, Okolo, and Rogers posted Penn’s fastest time in 16 years, at 3:10.83. This performance currently stands as the 10th fastest all-time at Penn.
At the Ivy League Indoor Championships, Hunter’s group accounted for 50.5 of Penn’s 102 points scored, leading Penn to a second-place team finish, its best in 16 years. Rogers defended his indoor 200m title and equaled his championship record of 21.39 (on a flat track) to move to fourth all-time in the Ivy League. Marvin Morgan placed second at the Ivy League Indoor Championships and earlier in the season recorded the second fastest 60m-dash in Penn history (6.82). Sophomore Evan Lee took second in the heptathlon with a score of 5,330.
In 2017, his first year with the program, Hunter guided Calvary Rogers to indoor and outdoor Ivy League titles in the 200m, with the former in an unforgettable championship record solo run at the N.Y. Armory. Both championships were Penn’s first in a sprint event since 2005. Rogers went on to qualify for the NCAA East Region Preliminary and earn Academic All-American Honors. Rogers finished the season second all-time at Penn in the indoor and outdoor 200m.
Hunter came to Penn following multiple successful collegiate coaching stints at the University of Miami, Florida International and The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). During a span of seven seasons, Hunter has guided five student-athletes to NCAA national qualifying marks, 24 All-America honors, and 11 school records. In addition, over 100 all-conference accolades have been honored under his tutelage.
Hunter served as the recruiting coordinator and assistant coach for men’s sprints, hurdles, jumps, and multi-events at the University of Miami. He made a lasting impact on the Miami program, as athletes that he coached or recruited still own 17 top-five all-time marks and one school record.
Under his guidance, Lance Leggett placed 12th at the 2007 NCAA Indoor Championships in the 60m hurdles. Leggett was the 2007 ACC runner-up in the 60m hurdles with a PR of 7.79 seconds. In 2006, Leggett was the ACC 400m hurdle champion and was runner-up in the 110m hurdles in a PB of 13.79.
Hunter signed the 2006 60m Hurdle National Scholastic Champion, Cory Nelms, and developed him into the fastest freshman in the ACC with a fourth-place finish in the 60m Hurdles at the 2007 ACC Indoor Championships. Nelms eventually developed into the best overall hurdler in Miami history by setting the 400m hurdle school record of 50.75 and logging the second fastest mark in the 110m hurdles at 13.65.
Additionally, Roland DaSliva (heptathlon, 5,466 points) and Elan Daviglus (high jump, 2.10m) gained NCAA qualifying marks. Furthermore, Hunter helped more than 10 student-athletes earn All-ACC honors.
Prior to Miami, Hunter spent one season as an assistant coach at Florida International University. Hunter led Sheri-Ann Brooks to the NCAA Championships in the 100m dash. Additionally, Hunter guided Gerald Waugh (110H) and Sonnii McBride (400m) to NCAA Regional qualifying marks during his only season with the Panthers. Four school records were broken, and 15 student-athletes garnered All-Sun Belt accolades during Hunter’s time at FIU.
Hunter began his collegiate coaching career at TCNJ where he was an assistant coach for sprints, hurdles, and jumps. In two seasons at the Division III level, Hunter coached 24 NCAA All-Americans, 79 NJAC All-Conference honorees, 23 NJAC champions, and 7 conference and school record holders. He also led two student-athletes to USATF Junior Nationals and helped guide the 2002 and 2003 teams to top-10 NCAA finishes.
Hunter earned his Bachelor of Arts in Biology from La Salle University and furthered his education at UC Berkeley where he received a Master’s in Business Administration. As an athlete, Hunter was a three-time qualifier USATF Outdoor Championship qualifier and owns personal bests in the 100 meter at 10.10 seconds and in the 200 meter at 20.83.
