Four inducted into NJCAA Track & Field Hall of Fame
Charlotte, NC – The NJCAA has announced four honorees to be inducted into the NJCAA Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Three coaches and one student-athlete have been admitted into the honorable 2023 class. Read below for more on Tony Dougherty, Jane Vatchev, Tim Marsee, and Matteo Capello.
Tony Dougherty | Coach | New Mexico Junior College
Tony Dougherty has 32 years of coaching experience within the NJCAA. Before arriving at New Mexico Junior College, Dougherty spent 12 years at Pima College (AZ) and 18 years at Central Arizona College. He is currently serving as the Assistant Track and Field Coach for New Mexico Junior College.
Dougherty has had a successful coaching career at the two-year level, having coached 360 NJCAA All-Americans and 53 NJCAA National Champions. He has had 21 top-team finishes and his athletes currently hold seven NJCAA National Records. He was awarded National Outdoor Coach of the Year in 2007 and National Coach of the Meet in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Dougherty has also received ACCAC Coach of the Year 12 times.
He has had great success throughout his coaching career including helping student-athletes graduate and move on to four-year universities as well as helping guide former athletes to represent their countries in the Olympics and World Track and Field Championships.
Jane Vatchev | Coach | College of DuPage (IL)
Jane Vatchev coached track and field for 14 years at the College of DuPage and founded DuPage's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018. Throughout her coaching career, she coached 218 All-Americans, 116 individual NJCAA National Champions, 70 NJCAA Academic honorees, and eight NJCAA DIII National Championships. She has coached 13 Region 4 team champions and coached Olympian Troy Doris, who placed 7th in the men's triple jump in the Rio de Janeiro games.
Vatchev has received Region 4 Coach of the Year 13 times, NJCAA DIII National Track Coach of the Meet eight times, NJCAA National Track and Field Coach of the Year two times, and the 2007 NJCAA Region 4 XC Coach of the Year. In 2022, Vatchev was named College of DuPage's Outstanding Faculty of the Year.
Prior to DuPage, she was an assistant coach at NCAA DII institution Lewis University where she coached four All-Americans. Vatchev is currently an assistant professor and department co-chair at DuPage and has been since 1999. She also continues to serve as a track and field official at local, regional, and national meets.
Tim Marsee | Coach | Vincennes University (IN)
Tim Marsee dedicated his time and energy to the Vincennes University track & field program for 14 years where he served as the assistant track and field coach. He coached 87 All-Americans, 71 All-Time top-five school performances, 21 National Champions, 21 school record holders, 12 National Runner-Ups, five National Meet holders, and four National Record holders.
Marsee has been awarded the National Meet Assistant Men's Coach of the Year three times, the Men's Assistant Coach of the Year for the Atlantic Division three times, and the National Meet Assistant Women's Coach of the Year twice. In 2018, Marsee was named the men's and women's Coach of the Year for the Atlantic Division and the Region Men's Head Coach of the Year.
Prior to Vincennes, Marsee was the head boys track & field coach at South Knox high school in Vincennes where he led the team to their first sectional championship in school history. Now, he regularly takes on local youth athletes and coaches them.
Matteo Capello | Student-Athlete | Vincennes University (IN)
Matteo Capello was a member of the Vincennes track and field team for two years. Capello was a 2020 NJCAA Indoor Track & Field national champion and meet record holder in Pole Vault. As a sophomore, Capello claimed the pole vault national title at the indoor national meet for the second consecutive year and was the 2021 NJCAA Outdoor Track & Field national record holder.
Capello was awarded the 2020 National Athlete of the Year Indoor, the 2021 National Athlete of the Year Indoor and Outdoor, and was an NJCAA Coaches Association Academic All-American. He received the USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week four times, USTFCCCA National Field Event Athlete of the Year twice, and the USTFCCCA National Field Event Athlete of the Year once. Throughout his career, he was listed on USTFCCCA men's best pole vault competitions indoor 29 times and USTFCCCA men's best pole vault competitions outdoor 14 times.
