Staff Directory
- Title:
- Assistant Coach - Throws
- Email:
- Phone:
- 732-690-7854
Rod Cocci enters his seventh season as the men’s and women’s throws coach in 2025-26. This is his 10th season with the program overall since joining the men’s staff as a volunteer in 2017. Cocci has over 20 years of coaching experience since beginning his career in the 2001-02 season, and has become known primarily for developing talent. His coaching philosophy places an emphasis on creating detailed individualized throwing and strength training programs based on each athlete’s specific abilities.
Since taking over the throws program, Cocci’s student-athletes have rewritten both the men’s and women’s record books. They have put together 13 school record performances and have over 50 inclusions in the Rutgers All-Time Top-10 performance lists across all throwing events.
The throws unit is recognized as a nationally competitive program. Under Cocci’s supervision this unit has placed over 40 athletes into the NCAA postseason across all throwing. In addition to this, full event squads have ended the season ranked within USTFCCCA’s national top 20 on a dozen occasions; with men’s javelin finishing in the top 3 multiple times. During his tenure at Rutgers, his throwers have won Big Ten Championships in men’s hammer, men’s javelin, and have reached the podium in all throwing events.
In the 2024-25 season, senior Steven Coponi (javelin) led the way for the men. Coponi made an improbable and remarkable return from a significant elbow injury to reach the Big Ten podium for the fourth time in his career. He capped off his season with All-American honors by reaching NCAA finals in Eugene, Ore. for the first time. Fellow senior Zachary Semerjian (javelin) was not far behind, narrowly missing All-American honors after a stellar performance in the NCAA preliminary round. The 2025-26 season will see several redshirt athletes return to action, along with key additions in men’s javelin (NCAA DIII All-American Justin Kolpan, and NJ State Champion Nick Vannatta).
The 2024-25 women’s squad was led by a pair of school record holders; Alicia Campbell (women’s weight throw/hammer) and Alianna Eucker (women’s javelin). Both of whom reset their own records during the season. The 2025-26 women’s squad returns Eucker, as well as a pair of NCAA tournament qualifiers (Olivia Norris and Samantha Gravatt – women’s javelin). The group added DII All-American Malina Bohlmann and New Jersey standout Riley Brazier to the squad.
Cocci emphasizes a competitive and encouraging environment for his athletes to thrive in. This atmosphere, along with vast indoor and outdoor training areas, and state-of-the art weight rooms have made Rutgers an attractive training ground for elite post-collegiate throwers. Over the past five seasons, Cocci has welcomed current and former U.S. World team members, Sam Mattis, Rudy Winkler, Rachel Dincoff, and Monique Riddick as volunteer assistant coaches while they continued to train towards their goals. Currently, men’s shot putter Jordan West, and women’s hammer/weight thrower Elisia Lancaster train at Rutgers as they continue with their post collegiate careers.
Prior to arriving at Rutgers, Cocci was a two-time All-Atlantic 10 discus thrower at Fordham University in Bronx, New York. Cocci began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Arkansas State University. At A-State he assisted in training three Sun Belt Conference champions and three NCAA finals qualifiers in discus, indoor weight, and hammer. Upon returning to New Jersey, he founded the Venom Track Club out of Seaside Heights. The USATF certified Venom Track Club has trained many place winners in several Division I conferences primarily in throws and distance events. This includes a Big Ten champion in women’s hammer, multiple ACC champions in women’s shot put, hammer, and the men’s 800m, as well as an NCAA DIII National Champion in women’s javelin. Cocci also served as a coach at Toms River High School North, where the girl’s throwers found great success in achieving 16 NJ Sectional State Titles, two Eastern States Championships, an outdoor overall NJ State Champion, and seven All-American honors.
Cocci holds a BA in Media Studies from Fordham University, and a Master’s Degree in Speech Communication from Arkansas State University. He is a native of Seaside Heights, New Jersey.
