Temple University Athletics
Men's Track and Field
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
"Todd is the perfect addition to the Temple Track and Field & Cross Country programs," Scalessa said. "He has an excellent understanding of the sport and a real passion for developing athletes. Todd is not only familiar with the tough level of competition within the A-10, but he brings a vast knowledge of the challenges involved in racing on the professional level as well."
A two-time NCAA qualifier in cross country, Witzleben was named the Atlantic 10 Most Outstanding Performer in 2001 and 2002. On the oval, the West Seneca, N.Y. native won the conference title in the indoor 3,000m (2002), the outdoor 5,000m (2003) and the outdoor 10,000m (2001 and 2003). He was also a two-year team co-captain for La Salle.
"I am very excited about this opportunity," Witzleben said. "Temple University has a rich history of athletic success and I look forward to building on that tradition. My goal is to raise the level of expectation and to create excitement around our young program. With hard work, this team will soon demand the attention and respect of the national running community."
Witzleben excelled in the classroom as well, earning NCAA Cross Country (2001 and 2002) and Track and Field (2003 and 2004) Academic All-American honors. In 2002, he was named the Atlantic 10 Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Year and La Salle cited him as the Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2002-03.
As an assistant coach at the College of New Jersey in 2005-06, Witzleben helped the Lions to NJAC titles in men's and women's cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. All six teams placed at their respective NCAA Division III Championships, led by the cross country teams, which placed ninth (women) and tenth (men). In indoor track, the women placed tenth and the men placed 13th overall while the outdoor teams placed 13th (women) and 16th (men), respectively. He also guided Brian Donovan to All-American honors in the indoor 5,000m and outdoor 5,000m and 10,000m.
A professional runner, Witzleben was the lead runner in Nike's Run Barefoot commercial, which featured the theme to Chariots of Fire playing in the background. He also placed seventh at the 2005 Freescale Austin Marathon in a time of 2:21.23 while running for Nike Team Run LA.
Witzleben graduated from La Salle in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He has also completed graduate work at La Salle in business administration and The College of New Jersey in physical education.
