CSUN Names Justin Johnson Head Track and Field/Cross Country Coach
7/17/2019 1:57:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Men's Track & Field, Women's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - California State University, Northridge today announced that former Matador All-American Justin Johnson has been named head coach of the CSUN Track and Field and Cross Country Program.
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The seventh head coach in program history on the men's side and fifth on the women's side, Johnson returns to lead a Matador Track and Field program that is steeped in tradition. The CSUN women have won a record 10 Big West Conference championships while the men's team has won five Big West team titles.
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"After a national search which brought many quality candidates from both near and far, we are pleased to welcome Justin Johnson back to CSUN," CSUN Director of Athletics Mike Izzi said. "We believe he is a talented coach who is also committed to the growth and development of our student-athletes, both on and off the track. We look forward to a bright future for CSUN Track and Field and Cross Country with Coach Johnson leading our program."
Johnson, a four-year letterwinner at CSUN from 2004-08, still holds the school's heptathlon record (5,643) and ranks second in program history in the decathlon (7,473). An All-American in the heptathlon in 2008 and a three-time National Championship participant in the decathlon, he finished as the Big West Conference's runner up in the decathlon three times and was the 2007 Western Athletic Conference heptathlon champion. In the spring of 2009, Johnson was the runner up in the heptathlon at the USA Track & Field Indoor Championships.
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"CSUN helped shape who I am, so I felt like the opportunity to return was a calling to give back to the program," said Johnson. "Ever since I made my first campus visit as a 17-year old, Northridge has always felt like home to me. One of the reasons the track and field program has been so successful is that it has always invested in people and that is something that I want to instill in the program."
A 10-year coaching veteran at the Division I level, Johnson most recently was the assistant coach in charge of sprints and hurdles at the University of Louisville. While at Louisville (2014-19), Johnson coached numerous All-ACC performers including Martice Moore who earned first-team All-America honors in the 400m hurdles in 2019. Under Johnson's tutelage, two Cardinals broke outdoor and indoor school records this past season. He also coached Louisville's 4x400m relay team to its first-ever NCAA East Preliminary appearance.
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Following a standout career as a student-athlete at CSUN, Johnson began his coaching career at Tulane in 2009. In two years at Tulane, Johnson coached Estafany Cruz, the Guatemala record holder in the triple jump. In addition, 17 of his student-athletes were named to the Conference USA Honor Roll.
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Johnson returned to CSUN in 2011 as an assistant coach on Avery Anderson's staff. Working with the Matador sprinters, hurdlers and horizontal jumpers, Johnson produced 18 qualifiers into the NCAA West Preliminary, a pair of USA Junior National qualifiers in addition to one World Championship qualifier. He coached the CSUN 4x100m relay team of Le'Shel Vines, Hafsatu Kamara, Marie Veale and Lexis Lambert to All-America honors in 2014.
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A native of Oxnard, Johnson graduated from CSUN with a Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology in May of 2008. Johnson and his wife, Jaime have two children, Zola and Azae.
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#UniteTheValley
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The seventh head coach in program history on the men's side and fifth on the women's side, Johnson returns to lead a Matador Track and Field program that is steeped in tradition. The CSUN women have won a record 10 Big West Conference championships while the men's team has won five Big West team titles.
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"After a national search which brought many quality candidates from both near and far, we are pleased to welcome Justin Johnson back to CSUN," CSUN Director of Athletics Mike Izzi said. "We believe he is a talented coach who is also committed to the growth and development of our student-athletes, both on and off the track. We look forward to a bright future for CSUN Track and Field and Cross Country with Coach Johnson leading our program."
Johnson, a four-year letterwinner at CSUN from 2004-08, still holds the school's heptathlon record (5,643) and ranks second in program history in the decathlon (7,473). An All-American in the heptathlon in 2008 and a three-time National Championship participant in the decathlon, he finished as the Big West Conference's runner up in the decathlon three times and was the 2007 Western Athletic Conference heptathlon champion. In the spring of 2009, Johnson was the runner up in the heptathlon at the USA Track & Field Indoor Championships.Â
"CSUN helped shape who I am, so I felt like the opportunity to return was a calling to give back to the program," said Johnson. "Ever since I made my first campus visit as a 17-year old, Northridge has always felt like home to me. One of the reasons the track and field program has been so successful is that it has always invested in people and that is something that I want to instill in the program."
A 10-year coaching veteran at the Division I level, Johnson most recently was the assistant coach in charge of sprints and hurdles at the University of Louisville. While at Louisville (2014-19), Johnson coached numerous All-ACC performers including Martice Moore who earned first-team All-America honors in the 400m hurdles in 2019. Under Johnson's tutelage, two Cardinals broke outdoor and indoor school records this past season. He also coached Louisville's 4x400m relay team to its first-ever NCAA East Preliminary appearance.
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Following a standout career as a student-athlete at CSUN, Johnson began his coaching career at Tulane in 2009. In two years at Tulane, Johnson coached Estafany Cruz, the Guatemala record holder in the triple jump. In addition, 17 of his student-athletes were named to the Conference USA Honor Roll.
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Johnson returned to CSUN in 2011 as an assistant coach on Avery Anderson's staff. Working with the Matador sprinters, hurdlers and horizontal jumpers, Johnson produced 18 qualifiers into the NCAA West Preliminary, a pair of USA Junior National qualifiers in addition to one World Championship qualifier. He coached the CSUN 4x100m relay team of Le'Shel Vines, Hafsatu Kamara, Marie Veale and Lexis Lambert to All-America honors in 2014.
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A native of Oxnard, Johnson graduated from CSUN with a Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology in May of 2008. Johnson and his wife, Jaime have two children, Zola and Azae.
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#UniteTheValley
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Players Mentioned
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & FieldA Conversation with Justin Johnson
Friday, May 15