NJ's Lisa Morgan-Richman Named Head XC Coach At TCU

In Morgan, TCU is getting a coach with one the best coaching resumes in NJ history.

Morgan, a middle distance star runner under legendary coach Len Klepack at Columbia where she graduated in 1985, returned to her alma mater in 2008 to rebuild a struggling Columbia program. She quickly restored Columbia's tradition of excellence and added to its rich legacy with a remarkable run.

Under Morgan's leadership Columbia produced several All-Americans (she averaged three Division I scholarship athletes per year since 2008), smashed multiple state and national records, captured several national championships, and smashed the New Jersey state record for the most state relays titles won.

Morgan received Essex County Coach of the Year honors eight times, is the only coach in Essex County history to garner the Coach of the Year honors for both boys and girls' teams in the same year (2008), and is a member of both the Newark Hall of Fame, and the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association Hall of Fame..

During the 2014 indoor season. Columbia broke the state indoor record in the 4x200-meter relay (1:38.99), repeated as state champions at the Group 4 Relay and Group 4 Track and Field Championships, and won the sprint medley at the New Balance National Championships. Columbia also broke the state indoor and outdoor records in the 4x400 relay last year.

In April of 2014, Morgan became the only high school coach in United States history to win back-to-back Penn Relay 4x800 meter relay victories. Morgan's team, anchored by the high school phenom, Olivia Baker, took down the New Jersey state record when it repeated as champion at the Penn Relays with a time of 8:45.37, the second fastest time in U.S. high school history. Baker split a meet record 2:02.55 and was named MVP of the meet for the second straight year.

Under Morgan's continued tutelage, Baker went on to run a then state record in the 400 (52.46), when she placed second at the U.S. Junior Nationals, and she earned a bronze medal at the IAAF World Junior Nationals in the 400 (53.00).

There's more!

In June of 2014, Columbia won its fifth straight state Group 4 title, becoming the only program in state history to have two separate five-year winning streaks by matching its run from 1994-98.

Then at the 2014 New Balance Nationals at the University of North Carolina A&T, Morgan's sprint medley relay team made history by running 3:50.81 to take down the national record of 3:51.97 set in 2007 by Eleanor Roosevelt HS of Maryland.

That put the finishing touches on one of the greatest track and field season in state history!!

Morgan, who graduated with a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Kentucky in 1989 before completing her M.A. in Corporate and Public Communication in 2003 at Seton Hall University, also has college coaching experience prior to her recent years at Bloomfield College.

From 1993-2003, she served on Coach John Moon's staff at Seton Hall University where she helped guid the careers of several Olympic and Olympic caliber athletes. Morgan is also a USATF NJ board member.