New Jersey Tech Highlanders
Encyclopedia
New Jersey Tech Highlanders, more commonly recognized as the NJIT Highlanders, refers to the varsity sport members of the Division I NCAA-affiliated sports teams of New Jersey Institute of Technology
(NJIT). The sports offerings at NJIT have expanded to nine Men’s programs, seven Women’s programs, two Club teams and a variety of Intramural teams.
In the academic year of 2006-07, NJIT athletics, in keeping with its move to NCAA Division I, created a new graphic identity. This includes a new Highlanders logo, developed by CN Foundry for NJIT. The logo depicts the traditional Highlander, whose ferocity and bravery against all odds are the stuff of legend.
Prior to the entire reclassification of the athletics program, all programs competed in the Division II level. In the process of reclassification, both men’s and women’s soccer programs are taking the big leap into Division I faster than the other programs. They have a unique opportunity that allows lower division schools to elevate one sport in each gender to Division I in a process that takes two years to complete. NJIT men’s soccer became a full member of NCAA Division I at the start of the 2005 season, when the Highlanders arrived at championship eligibility. The men’s journey to the top level began in 2003. NJIT women’s soccer began a similar two-year process in 2005, with full Division I status and championship eligibility arriving with the 2007 season.
Advancing the entire program however takes four years to complete and the process includes application, a detailed strategic plan and in-depth annual review of the institution’s progress in moving toward its goal of complying with NCAA Division I rules and building a strong, broad-based athletics program.
Along the way, scholarship and operating budgets have been enhanced, with expanded coaching staffs, increased scholarship dollars and upgraded facilities for competition and practice.
NJIT athletics has officially gained across-the-board active membership in NCAA Division I, beginning September 1, 2009.
The Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center, the home gymnasium for the NJIT Highlanders, underwent renovations in the summer of 2006 which included installation of a new floor and baskets, new lighting, new sound system and new scoreboards, along with entirely new seating for approximately 1,500 spectators after the first phase of renovation.
The home field for the Highlanders’ soccer program is Lubetkin Field and is a first-class venue for college soccer. Outfitted with SprinTurf artificial grass in the summer of 2004, Lubetkin Field also includes lighting for night contests, bleacher seating for more than 1,000 spectators, a press box and scoreboard. NJIT just recently hosted a Youth International Soccer Invitational on Lubetkin Field in which Mexico took the championship.
A six-lane swimming pool is home to NJIT’s men’s and women’s swimming teams, while the two varsity tennis squads utilize the four lighted outdoor hardcourt tennis courts behind the building.
A newly renovated on-campus 6-lane bowling alley is available at the student center for recreational and club-level bowling.
A new indoor tennis facility (completed in 2011) The Naimoli Family Athletic and Recreational Facility houses 4 indoor tennis courts.
While baseball and basketball are important aspects to NJIT’s athletic program, their home matches are mainly played off campus at local sports hotspots. In a joint press conference in December 2005, former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre was a featured speaker as NJIT and the professional Newark Bears
announced a 10-year partnership that secured the downtown stadium as the site of all Highlanders’ baseball home games.
NJIT basketball will also be a tenant of a major sport’s arena, in the new downtown Prudential Center, the state-of-the-art home of the National Hockey League
New Jersey Devils
. The Highlanders hosted six games on four dates in 2007-08 at The Rock and NJIT plans to increase its presence in 2008-09. An expansion/extension to the existing athletic facilities has already been planned.
The Great West Conference was formerly a football-only league but has expanded into an all-sports league with the addition of NJIT, University of Texas–Pan American
, Utah Valley
, Houston Baptist University
, University of North Dakota
and University of South Dakota
. Chicago State University
joined the conference in October 2008 making the total full-sports members to 7.
The Highlander programs that will participate in the Great West are men’s and women’s basketball; baseball; women’s volleyball; women’s tennis; men’s and women’s cross country; men’s and women’s indoor track and field; and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field. Although the newly expanded conference is not eligible for automatic Division I championship postseason qualification, it does offer NJIT’s athletics some benefits. The benefits offered are conference championship competition, stable scheduling opportunities in all conference sports and individual recognition for student-athletes through weekly and season all-conference recognition.
Currently, the Great West Conference men's basketball tournament champion has an automatic bid to CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
(CIT).
NJIT's Men's soccer team competes in the Atlantic Soccer Conference
while NJIT's Men's volleyball team competes in Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
(EIVA). The Women's soccer team used to compete in the United Soccer Conference
but stopped in 2009-2010 season when Great West Conference officially started as an all-sports conference.
See also List of Division I schools that have never sponsored football
NJIT‘s Men’s basketball program set the record of the most winless team in D-I history (see 2007–08 NJIT Highlanders men's basketball team) in the 2007-2008 season with a losing streak of 51 games, breaking Sacramento State University’s old D-I record. This acknowledgment has given NJIT’s athletic program national recognition for futility. The unofficial NCAA record was set during its second NCAA Division 1 transitional season. It came despite a promising debut 5-24 Division 1 transitional season (2006-2007) whereby the rookie team won its first two matches (away and home). With a new head coach (Jim Engles
), an entire new team of coaching staffs and additional new recruits, the NJIT Men’s basketball team ended a 51-game losing streak on January 21, 2009 with a 61-51 win over the Bryant University
Bulldogs ending the 2008-2009 season with a 1-30 record. The Highlanders improved the following season (2009–2010) and ended with a 10-21 record during its first official NCAA Division 1 season.
It currently holds 3 NCAA Division I Men's basketball reclassifying records: Defeats in a winless Season (29 games), Consecutive Defeats in a Season (29 games) and Consecutive Defeats (51 games).
NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Recognitions for best performances
Despite performing way below Division I standard during its reclassifying seasons from Division II to Division I, the Highlanders till this day still hold several Division III Men's Basketball records more than a decade after elevation from Division III. These records include:
As of the end of 2009-2010 season, the NJIT Men's Basketball team records stood as follows:
The NJIT Men's Basketball team had a good rebounding year in the 2010-2011 season breaking-even with a 15-15 (D1: 11/26) record to finish second (D1: 9-3) in the Great West Conference Regular Season. The records stood as follows at the end of the 2010-2011 season:
, NJ, 07102
Founded: 1881
Enrollment: 5,380 (undergraduate)
Nickname/colors: Highlanders/red and white (blue accent)
Affiliations: NCAA Division I
Main Athletic Conference: Great West Conference
Other Athletic Conferences: Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
, Atlantic Soccer Conference
& Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conference
University President: Dr. Robert Altenkirch
NJIT athletics website: http://www.njit.edu
New Jersey Institute of Technology
New Jersey Institute of Technology is a public research university in Newark, New Jersey. It is often also referred to as Newark College of Engineering ....
(NJIT). The sports offerings at NJIT have expanded to nine Men’s programs, seven Women’s programs, two Club teams and a variety of Intramural teams.
Behind the Highlander name
NJIT is located in an area known as University Heights, formerly known as the Newark Highlands. While classified under the former location, NJIT’s mailing address used to be High Street, until it was renamed in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This reference to NJIT’s past is what brought about the mascot The Highlander.In the academic year of 2006-07, NJIT athletics, in keeping with its move to NCAA Division I, created a new graphic identity. This includes a new Highlanders logo, developed by CN Foundry for NJIT. The logo depicts the traditional Highlander, whose ferocity and bravery against all odds are the stuff of legend.
Move to Division I
NJIT athletics moved to the top level of college athletics-NCAA Division I, in 2006.Prior to the entire reclassification of the athletics program, all programs competed in the Division II level. In the process of reclassification, both men’s and women’s soccer programs are taking the big leap into Division I faster than the other programs. They have a unique opportunity that allows lower division schools to elevate one sport in each gender to Division I in a process that takes two years to complete. NJIT men’s soccer became a full member of NCAA Division I at the start of the 2005 season, when the Highlanders arrived at championship eligibility. The men’s journey to the top level began in 2003. NJIT women’s soccer began a similar two-year process in 2005, with full Division I status and championship eligibility arriving with the 2007 season.
Advancing the entire program however takes four years to complete and the process includes application, a detailed strategic plan and in-depth annual review of the institution’s progress in moving toward its goal of complying with NCAA Division I rules and building a strong, broad-based athletics program.
Along the way, scholarship and operating budgets have been enhanced, with expanded coaching staffs, increased scholarship dollars and upgraded facilities for competition and practice.
NJIT athletics has officially gained across-the-board active membership in NCAA Division I, beginning September 1, 2009.
Facilities
The home field for the Highlanders’ soccer program is Lubetkin Field and is a first-class venue for college soccer. Outfitted with SprinTurf artificial grass in the summer of 2004, Lubetkin Field also includes lighting for night contests, bleacher seating for more than 1,000 spectators, a press box and scoreboard. NJIT just recently hosted a Youth International Soccer Invitational on Lubetkin Field in which Mexico took the championship.
A six-lane swimming pool is home to NJIT’s men’s and women’s swimming teams, while the two varsity tennis squads utilize the four lighted outdoor hardcourt tennis courts behind the building.
A newly renovated on-campus 6-lane bowling alley is available at the student center for recreational and club-level bowling.
A new indoor tennis facility (completed in 2011) The Naimoli Family Athletic and Recreational Facility houses 4 indoor tennis courts.
While baseball and basketball are important aspects to NJIT’s athletic program, their home matches are mainly played off campus at local sports hotspots. In a joint press conference in December 2005, former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre was a featured speaker as NJIT and the professional Newark Bears
Newark Bears
The Newark Bears are an American professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are a member of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 1999 season, the Bears have played their home games at Bears &...
announced a 10-year partnership that secured the downtown stadium as the site of all Highlanders’ baseball home games.
NJIT basketball will also be a tenant of a major sport’s arena, in the new downtown Prudential Center, the state-of-the-art home of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. The Highlanders hosted six games on four dates in 2007-08 at The Rock and NJIT plans to increase its presence in 2008-09. An expansion/extension to the existing athletic facilities has already been planned.
Great West Conference / Atlantic Soccer Conference / Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA)
Most of the Highlanders’ programs competed Independently until 2009, when the Highlanders became a part of the newly expanded Great West Conference. In the summer of 2008 the Highlanders were one of six athletic programs to announce they had joined the expansion of the Great West Conference to form a Division I all-sports league that will begin full conference scheduling and championships in 2009-10.The Great West Conference was formerly a football-only league but has expanded into an all-sports league with the addition of NJIT, University of Texas–Pan American
University of Texas–Pan American
The University of Texas–Pan American , founded as Edinberg College, is a state university located in Edinburg, Texas. Founded in 1927, it is a component institution of The University of Texas System. The university serves the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas with baccalaureate,...
, Utah Valley
Utah Valley
Utah Valley is a valley in North Central Utah located in Utah County, and is considered part of the Wasatch Front. It contains Provo, Orem, and their suburbs, including Highland, Eagle Mountain, Saratoga Springs, Mapleton, Spanish Fork, Lindon, Pleasant Grove, Springville, Lehi, Payson, and...
, Houston Baptist University
Houston Baptist University
Houston Baptist University is a private Baptist institution founded in 1960. It is located in Greater Sharpstown in Houston, Texas near the Southwest Freeway.- History :...
, University of North Dakota
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
and University of South Dakota
University of South Dakota
The University of South Dakota ', the state’s oldest university, was founded in 1862 and classes began in 1882. Located in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, USD is home to South Dakota's only medical school and law school. USD is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents, and its current...
. Chicago State University
Chicago State University
Chicago State University is a state university of the U.S. state of Illinois, located in Chicago.-History:Cook County Normal School was founded in 1867, largely through the initiative of John F. Eberhart, the Commissioner of Schools for Cook County...
joined the conference in October 2008 making the total full-sports members to 7.
The Highlander programs that will participate in the Great West are men’s and women’s basketball; baseball; women’s volleyball; women’s tennis; men’s and women’s cross country; men’s and women’s indoor track and field; and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field. Although the newly expanded conference is not eligible for automatic Division I championship postseason qualification, it does offer NJIT’s athletics some benefits. The benefits offered are conference championship competition, stable scheduling opportunities in all conference sports and individual recognition for student-athletes through weekly and season all-conference recognition.
Currently, the Great West Conference men's basketball tournament champion has an automatic bid to CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
The CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2009 by College Insider.com. It now hosts 24 participating teams.-Champions:-2009:...
(CIT).
NJIT's Men's soccer team competes in the Atlantic Soccer Conference
Atlantic Soccer Conference
Atlantic Soccer Conference is a college athletic conference which only sponsors men's soccer. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I and its champion does not receive an automatic bid to the annual NCAA Men's Soccer Championship Tournament. It was founded in 2000 with nine colleges...
while NJIT's Men's volleyball team competes in Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
The Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association is a college athletic conference whose member schools compete in men's volleyball. Its member institutions are located in the Northeast United States....
(EIVA). The Women's soccer team used to compete in the United Soccer Conference
United Soccer Conference
The United Soccer Conference was an NCAA Division I College Athletic Conference founded in 2005 whose members competed in the sport of women's soccer. On February 10, 2007 New Jersey Institute of Technology joined the conference, however later that year on July 1, 2007 Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne,...
but stopped in 2009-2010 season when Great West Conference officially started as an all-sports conference.
Varsity sport programs
Men’s programs
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Fencing
- Soccer ( Atlantic Soccer ConferenceAtlantic Soccer ConferenceAtlantic Soccer Conference is a college athletic conference which only sponsors men's soccer. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I and its champion does not receive an automatic bid to the annual NCAA Men's Soccer Championship Tournament. It was founded in 2000 with nine colleges...
(ASC) ) - Swimming
- Tennis
- Track and Field
- Volleyball ( Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball AssociationEastern Intercollegiate Volleyball AssociationThe Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association is a college athletic conference whose member schools compete in men's volleyball. Its member institutions are located in the Northeast United States....
(EIVA) )
Women’s programs
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Fencing
- Soccer
- Swimming (eliminated in 2010)
- Tennis
- Track and Field
- Volleyball
See also List of Division I schools that have never sponsored football
Club and intramural teams
NJIT, which offers a growing list of club sports, also has a robust intramural program, which makes use of the numerous athletic facilities.Club sport teams
- Ice Hockey (affiliated conference : Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey ConferenceGreat Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conferenceclass="infobox"The Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conference is an ACHA Division II ice hockey league based in the mid-atlantic region of the US. The GNCHC is made up of mid sized colleges and universities in PA, NJ, and NY.-Current Teams:...
(ACHAAchaAcha is a HINDI word for OK.Acha is also an Ewokese word for OK. Ewokese is a language used in the Star Wars Ewok Adventures: Caravan Of Courage / The Battle For Endor* Acha, Argyll and Bute, Scotland...
Division II club hockey)) - Bowling (reinstated in 2008-2009)
Intramural sport teams
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cricket
- Fencing
- Judo
- Soccer
- Volleyball
Recognitions
NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Recognitions for futilityNJIT‘s Men’s basketball program set the record of the most winless team in D-I history (see 2007–08 NJIT Highlanders men's basketball team) in the 2007-2008 season with a losing streak of 51 games, breaking Sacramento State University’s old D-I record. This acknowledgment has given NJIT’s athletic program national recognition for futility. The unofficial NCAA record was set during its second NCAA Division 1 transitional season. It came despite a promising debut 5-24 Division 1 transitional season (2006-2007) whereby the rookie team won its first two matches (away and home). With a new head coach (Jim Engles
Jim Engles
Jim Engles is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He replaced Jim Casciano...
), an entire new team of coaching staffs and additional new recruits, the NJIT Men’s basketball team ended a 51-game losing streak on January 21, 2009 with a 61-51 win over the Bryant University
Bryant University
Bryant University is a private university located in Smithfield, Rhode Island, U.S., that grants the degrees of bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and master's degrees in business, taxation and accounting. Until August 2004, it was known as Bryant College...
Bulldogs ending the 2008-2009 season with a 1-30 record. The Highlanders improved the following season (2009–2010) and ended with a 10-21 record during its first official NCAA Division 1 season.
It currently holds 3 NCAA Division I Men's basketball reclassifying records: Defeats in a winless Season (29 games), Consecutive Defeats in a Season (29 games) and Consecutive Defeats (51 games).
NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Recognitions for best performances
Despite performing way below Division I standard during its reclassifying seasons from Division II to Division I, the Highlanders till this day still hold several Division III Men's Basketball records more than a decade after elevation from Division III. These records include:
- All-time best 3-pt field-goal percentage in one season (67% by Reggie James in 1989 ).
- All-time 2nd best 3-pt field-goal percentage in one season (63.1% by Chris Miles in 1987).
- All-time 3rd best 3-pt field-goal percentage in one season (61.3% by Chris Miles in 1989).
- All-time highest number of block-shots in one season (198 by Tory Black in 1997).
- All-time highest number of block-shots per game in one season (7.62 by Tory Black in 1997).
- All-time highest 3-pt field-goal percentage (min 100 made) by a team in one season (62% on 124 of 200 shootings in 1989).
As of the end of 2009-2010 season, the NJIT Men's Basketball team records stood as follows:
- Division I basketball : 13/104 (12.5% winning percentage)
- Division I, II & III composite records since 1924 : 810/1544 (52.46% winning percentage)
The NJIT Men's Basketball team had a good rebounding year in the 2010-2011 season breaking-even with a 15-15 (D1: 11/26) record to finish second (D1: 9-3) in the Great West Conference Regular Season. The records stood as follows at the end of the 2010-2011 season:
- Division I basketball : 24/130 (18.46% winning percentage)
- Division I, II & III composite records since 1924 : 825/1574 (52.41% winning percentage)
Noteworthy accomplishments since turning NCAA (all-sports) Division 1 (September 2009)
- Senior captain Sabrina Baby led the nation in women’s volleyball 'Digs per set' in year 2009. She was also selected as an Academic All-American (third-team) by College Sports Information Directors of AmericaCollege Sports Information Directors of AmericaCollege Sports Information Directors of Americaor CoSIDA is the organization that has since 1952 bestowed Academic All-American recognition on male and female athletes in Divisions I, II, and III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association —covering all NCAA championship sports—and NAIA...
(CoSIDA). - The women's volleyball team led the nation in 'Digs per set' in year 2009.
- Christian Baumbach won the 101st annual IC4AIC4AIC4A or ICAAAA is an annual men's competition held at different colleges every year....
Cross Country 'University Event' race in 2009. - The NJIT (club level) Ice Hockey Team captured it's first Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey ConferenceGreat Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conferenceclass="infobox"The Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conference is an ACHA Division II ice hockey league based in the mid-atlantic region of the US. The GNCHC is made up of mid sized colleges and universities in PA, NJ, and NY.-Current Teams:...
Championship title (Division II) in 2011 by defeating Muhlenberg CollegeMuhlenberg CollegeMuhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America.- History...
3-2 in overtime. - The NJIT Women's Tennis Team captured it's first Great West Conference Title beating North DakotaUniversity of North DakotaThe University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
by a score of 4-2.
Notable Highlanders
- Raymond E. Blum (speed skating, class of 1950) member of the United States Olympic Team participating in the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. MoritzSt. MoritzSt. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. - Werner R. Zorn (men's soccer, 1958-61) First NCAA Division III All-American from NJIT.
- Hernan (Chico) Borja (men's soccer, 1977-1980), NCAA Division I First Team All American.
- Ray Pauluis (men's soccer, 1980-83) NCAA Division III First Team All American.
- Wycliffe Gordon (men's volleyball,1993-1996), NCAA Division I Second Team All-American.
- Demond Cowins (men's basketball, 2000-2004), first Highlander basketball player (NCAA Division II) to sign a professional basketball contract.
- Matt Melody (men's baseball, 2006-2009), first Highlander professional baseball player (NCAA Division I).
University facts
Location: University Heights, NewarkNewark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, NJ, 07102
Founded: 1881
Enrollment: 5,380 (undergraduate)
Nickname/colors: Highlanders/red and white (blue accent)
Affiliations: NCAA Division I
Main Athletic Conference: Great West Conference
Other Athletic Conferences: Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
The Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association is a college athletic conference whose member schools compete in men's volleyball. Its member institutions are located in the Northeast United States....
, Atlantic Soccer Conference
Atlantic Soccer Conference
Atlantic Soccer Conference is a college athletic conference which only sponsors men's soccer. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I and its champion does not receive an automatic bid to the annual NCAA Men's Soccer Championship Tournament. It was founded in 2000 with nine colleges...
& Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conference
Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conference
class="infobox"The Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conference is an ACHA Division II ice hockey league based in the mid-atlantic region of the US. The GNCHC is made up of mid sized colleges and universities in PA, NJ, and NY.-Current Teams:...
University President: Dr. Robert Altenkirch
Robert Altenkirch
Robert A. Altenkirch is the President of University of Alabama in Huntsville. He has yet to be inaugurated.-Life:Robert A. Altenkirch, is the current president of the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He was formerly vice president for research at Mississippi State University and the seventh...
NJIT athletics website: http://www.njit.edu