Jason Vigilante enters his 13th season overall as a coach with the Princeton men's track and field & cross country teams and first as the William M. Weaver Head Coach of Men's Track and Field & Cross Country in 2023-24. He was officially introduced as the new head coach for the program on August 9, 2023.
Since joining the program in 2012, he has helped the Tigers win seven Ivy League Cross Country Championships (2012, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2021,2022, 2023) and claim five Triple Crowns (2014-15, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2021-22, 2023-24).
The 2023-24 season began with the Tigers claiming their 24th Ivy League Cross Country Championship, followed by a first-place team finish at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals, marking their first victory in the Mid-Atlantic region since 2021, and earning them an automatic bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The team placed 11th at the 2023 NCAA Cross Country National Championship at Panorama Farms, which ties the Princeton team record for highest finish at the NCAA National Championships. Nicholas Bendtsen was honored as a Division I Cross Country All-American, the program's first All-American since Donn Cabral, who secured the title twice in 2010 and 2011. In indoor season, the team emerged victorious at Harvard and claimed their 9th consecutive and 25th Ivy Indoor Heps Title, securing a total 168 points, 53 above Cornell who placed second. Led by stellar performances across various events, Princeton clinched seven individual Ivy champions and two championship teams. In outdoor season, the Tigers completed its 11th Triple Crown Sunday, winning Ivy Outdoor Heps for the 22nd time after compiling 204.5 total points. The Tigers' 11th Triple Crown was its first under Viglante and the 204.5 points scored were also the third-highest point total in history at Outdoor Heps. Vigilante was named the Mid-Atlantic Region Outdoor and Indoor Coach of the Year.
The 2022-23 season saw a first place finish from the Tigers at Cross Country Heps, and a admirable performance at Mid-Atlantic Regionals that punched the Tigers' ticket to Stillwater, Oklahoma for the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Jarrett Kirk, Josh Zelek, Connor Nisbet, Jack Stanley, and Daniel O'Brien were the five Tigers to earn All-Region honors prior to the Championships. Cross Country season wrapped up with a 30th-place finish at the NCAA Championships for Princeton. In the indoor season, Sam Rodman garnered Second-Team All-America honors after finishing ninth at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 800m. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Vigilante led Nicholas Bendtsen to a sixteenth-place finish in the 5000 meters. The Tigers also sent six distance runners to the NCAA East preliminary Round.
Vigilante started the 2021-22 triple crown season off on a high note, guiding the Tigers to a first-place finish at Cross Country Heps. The Tigers finished with 28 points, well ahead of Harvard who were second with 43, and had five finish inside the top-10. The Tigers also earned a spot at the NCAA Championships in Tallahassee, after winning the Mid-Atlantic Regional and earned six All-Regional selections via top-25 finishes; Jakob Kintzele, Ed Trippas, Matthew Farrell, Anthony Monte, Kevin Berry and Matt Grossman. Cross Country season wrapped up with a 23rd-place finish at the NCAA Championships, and the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year Award for Vigilante. In the indoor season, the DMR Team garnered First-Team All-America honors after finishing fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships, and set a new Ivy League records. The Tigers also won three distance titles at indoor Heps, and two at outdoor Heps. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Vigilante led to Sam Ellis to a third-place finish in the 1,500 meters, Ed Trippas to a fifth-place finish in the steeplechase, and Sam Rodman to a seventh-place finish in the 800 meters, with each garnering First Team All-America honors. The Tigers also sent a region-best 27 to the NCAA East preliminary Round, 11 who were distance runners.
Lighting the match for the program’s eighth Triple Crown, the cross country team won the Ivy Heps with all five scorers finishing in the top 10 and Vigilante being named Ivy League Coach of the Year. With a team score of 28, it marked the lowest Heps score since 1987. The Tigers also won the Mid-Atlantic Regional to automatically advance to the NCAA Championships. With a score of 57, all five scorers were in the top 25. At NCAA’s the team finished 28th overall. During the indoor season the DMR won Ivy Heps with a record time. Outdoors Josh Ingalls (’18) was named the Most Outstanding Track Performer of the Meet as he had the second-fastest time in the 800 in Ivy history while anchoring the second-place 4x800 relay. Paulson and O’Toole went 1-2 in the 1500. Paulson later went on to take 13th in the NCAA Championships in the event to earn second-team All-America honors, while O’Toole qualified for the USA Track & Field National Championships and finished 19th.
In 2016, the Tigers took second place with William Paulson ’18 just four seconds off of claiming in the individual title. Conor Lundy ’20 was third and the Tigers had three in the top six with William Bertrand ’17 sixth. After a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional with Lundy being the top freshman finisher, taking third overall, in the region to automatically qualifier for the NCAA Championships. He placed 94th at NCAAs.
The Tigers finished fourth as they hosted the 2015 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional. All five Princeton scorers placed in the top 25 to earn USTFCCCA All-Region honors.
As the individual coach of Robby Andrews, Vigilante coached the 1500 specialist to the 2016 Rio Olympics to the semifinals. The following summer Andrews won the 2017 USA Track & Field Championships, out-kicking the Olympic gold medalist for the win.
The 2014 team started the program off with the first leg of the Triple Crown. All five scorers were named All-Ivy League. The Tigers claimed fourth in the Mid-Atlantic Regional and were second at the IC4A Championship with Michael Sublette ('16) claiming the individual title. During the outdoor season, Matt McDonald was the 10k Heps champion while five made the NCAA East Regional. Sam Pons ('15) advanced in the 10k and earned second-team All-America honors with a ninth-place finish.
Last year the Tigers earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships after a second-place finish at Regionals. The squad finished 22nd at the NCAAs and the JV team was third at IC4As. Indoors, Vigilante helped Michael Williams '14 to the NCAA Championships in the mile. Williams was named second-team All-America as he finished 14th nationally. Outdoors, six Tigers qualified for the NCAA Regionals with three two making the finals in Eugene. Chris Bendtsen '14, who earlier in the season set a new 10k program record, finished ninth in the same event to earned second-team All-America honors. Eddie Owens '16 also competed in the semifinals of the steeplechase.
In his first year at Princeton in 2012-13, Vigilante guided the men's cross country team to its third straight Ivy League Heptagonal Championship. Chris Bendtsen '14 and Alejandro Arroyo Yamin '14 went 1-2, becoming just the second 1-2 tandem in Princeton history. Bendtsen is just the eighth Tiger to win in the individual title. Three weeks later Princeton finished 11th at the NCAA Championships, a program best finish. Bendtsen, Arroyo Yamin and Tyler Udland '14 all finished in the top 100.
During the indoor track season, Vigilante helped the men's distance medley relay captured the NCAA title. It was Princeton's first indoor national title since 2002 and first on the track since 1975. Peter Callahan '13, Russell Dinkins '13, Austin Hollimon '13 and Michael Williams '14 made up the relay and earned All-America honors. Additionally, he coached seven athletes that were crowned Ivy League champions.
Outdoors, Vigilante coached two athletes to All-America honors. Michael Franklin '13 who won the distance double at Heps, finished fifth at the NCAAs in the 10k, Princeton's best finish in the event. Dinkins was 16th in the 800 to take second-team All-America honors. In addition to Franklin's double and Dinkins' win at Heps, Callahan was the 1500, bringing Vigilante's Ivy League champion total to 11 in one year.
Vigilante was the director of cross country and track & field for men and women at the University of Virginia from 2008-11.
In his first year on staff, the men won the 2008 ACC cross country championship. He would help the program make three NCAA Championship appearances. The women's team would be crowned the Southeast Region champions three times and made four NCAA appearances. The Cavaliers also won three individual ACC cross country titles.
His success carried over into track & field. Vigilante coached athletes to 30 ACC champions, 32 All-America honors and had 40 athletes reach the final sites of the NCAA Championships. The Virginia men also won back-to-back Penn Relay Championships in the 4x800 and captured the school's first ACC championship during the 2009 outdoor season.
Vigilante coached Bowerman Trophy semifinalist Robby Andrews to two NCAA 800 meter titles and a bronze medal at the IAAF World Juniors. He also coached Honda Sports Award finalist Catherine White to a fourth-place NCAA finish and an individual regional title in cross country.
He won four US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Southeast Region Coach of the Year honors and two ACC Coach of the Year awards during his tenure at Virginia.
Prior to Virginia, Vigilante spent nine years at the University of Texas, where he was named USTFCCCA Assistant Coach of the Year and Regional Assistant Coach of the Year two times each. He began as a volunteer women's cross country coach in 1999. In 2000, he became an assistant for both the men's track & field and cross country teams. In August 2005, he was promoted to head men's cross country coach and associate head men's track & field coach.
At Texas, Vigilante had six athletes win national championships. The teams won 12 Big 12 conference championships, while 25 won individual Big 12 titles. A total of 37 athletes garnered All-America status. The Longhorns won six Penn Relay titles including a distance relay sweep in 2008, winning the 4x800, 4xMile and DMR. In his eight years at Texas, the indoor team posted five top-10 team performances at the NCAAs including third in 2007 and 2008; while the outdoor team was in the top 10 four times highlighted by a third-place finish in 2006.
The cross country team had four straight top-20 finishes at the NCAAs, including the highest finish in 14 years taking seventh in 2005 and 2006. The team was the Big 12 runners-up four times after having not finished higher than fourth in program history.
He coached 1500-meter runner Leonel Manzano to back-to-back USA Championship runner-up finishes and berths to the 2008 US Olympic Team and 2007 US World Championship Team. Vigilante also coached steepler Jack Morse to a fourth-place finish at the 2008 US Olympic trials.
In his final year at Texas he coached the indoor distance medley relay team to a World Record of 9:25.97 in February 2008. It also set an American and an NCAA record.
Vigilante was an assistant coach at UNC Wilmington in 1997 when the Seahawks won their first Colonial Athletics Association outdoor conference title in school history.
He then served as a graduate assistant for two seasons (1997-99) at NCSU. The Wolfpack men recorded back-to-back NCAA top-10 cross country finishes, collected two ACC Championships and produced three All-Americans during that time. The NCSU women also won back-to-back ACC cross country titles.
A native of Morristown, N.J., Vigilante graduated from NC State with a degree in psychology in 1996. He lettered three times with the Wolfpack and earned All-ACC cross country honors following his senior season.
| Resume |
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| Princeton |
Head Men's Track & Field/XC Coach |
2023-Present |
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Head Men's XC Coach |
2012-22 |
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Asst. Men's Track Coach |
2012-23 |
| Virginia |
Dir. XC and Track & Field |
2008-11 |
| Texas |
Vol. Women's XC Coach |
1999 |
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Assistant Men's XC Coach |
2000-05 |
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Assistant Men's Track Coach |
2000-05 |
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Head Men's XC Coach |
2005-08 |
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Associate Head Coach Men's Track |
2005-08 |
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By the Numbers |
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| 3 |
Olympians |
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Leonel Manzano |
2008 |
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Robby Andrews |
2016 |
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Ed Trippas |
2022 |
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| 4 |
World Championship Qualifier |
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Leonel Manzano |
2007 |
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Robby Andrews |
2015, 16 (I), 17 |
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| 1 |
World Record |
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Texas DMR (i) 9:25.97 |
2008 |
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| 15 |
NCAA Champions |
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Leo Manzano (Texas) 1500 |
2005 |
Outdoor |
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Leo Manzano (Texas) Mile |
2007 |
Indoor |
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Leo Manzano (Texas) Mile |
2008 |
Indoor |
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DMR (Texas) |
2008 |
Indoor |
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Jacob Hernandez (Texas) 800 |
2008 |
Outdoor |
|
Leo Manzano (Texas) 1500 |
2008 |
Outdoor |
|
Robby Andrews (UVa) 800 |
2010 |
Indoor |
|
Robby Andrews (UVa) 800 |
2011 |
Outdoor |
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DMR (Princeton) |
2013 |
Indoor |
| 8 |
Penn Relay Wins |
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Men's DMR (Texas) |
2006 |
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Men's 4xMile (Texas) |
2007 |
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Men's DMR (Texas) |
2007 |
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Men's DMR (Texas) |
2008 |
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Men's 4x800 (Texas) |
2008 |
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Men's 4xMile (Texas) |
2008 |
|
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Men's 4x800 (Virginia) |
2010 |
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Men's 4x800 (Virginia) |
2011 |
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| 8 |
USTFCCCA Coach of the Year Awards |
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Midwest Regional Asst. Coach |
2005 |
Outdoor |
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National Asst. Coach |
2005 |
Outdoor |
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South Central Regional Asst. Coach |
2008 |
Indoor |
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National Asst. Coach |
2008 |
Indoor |
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Southeast Women's XC Coach |
2008 |
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Southeast Men's Track & Field Coach |
2009 |
Outdoor |
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Southeast Women's XC Coach |
2010 |
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Southeast Women's XC Coach |
2011 |
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| 70 |
Conference Champions |
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17 individual; 3 relays (Big 12/Texas) |
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27 individual; 3 relays (ACC/Virginia) |
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18 individual; 2 relays (Ivy/Princeton) |
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Cross Country (1) |
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Bendsten |
2012 |
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Indoor (11 individual, 2 relay) |
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Mile (Callahan, O'Toole, Ellis, Miller) |
2013, 2018, 2022, 2023 |
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500 (Dinkins) |
2013 |
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5k (Franklin) |
2013 |
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DMR |
2013, 2018 |
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800 (Ingalls, Ellis, Rodman) |
2016, 2022, 2023 |
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1,000 (Kauppila, Witt |
2016, 2022 |
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4x800 |
2023 |
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Outdoor (9) |
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1500 (Callahan, Paulson) |
2013, 2018 |
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800 (Dinkins, Ingalls, Rodman) |
2013, 2018, 2022 |
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5k (Franklin) |
2013 |
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10k (Franklin, McDonald) |
2013, 2015 |
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Steeplechase (Trippas) |
2022 |
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| 88 |
All-American Honors |
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39 at Texas |
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32 at Virginia |
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19 at Princeton |
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Indoor (8) |
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DMR |
2013 |
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DMR |
2022 |
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800 (Rodman) |
2023 |
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Outdoor (10) |
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5k (Franklin, Lundy) |
2013, 2018 |
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800 (Dinkins) |
2013 |
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10k (Pons) |
2015 |
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1500 (Paulson) |
2017, 2018 |
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1500 (Ellis) |
2022 |
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Steeplechase (Trippas) |
2022 |
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800 (Rodman) |
2022 |
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5000m (Bendtsen) |
2023 |
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