Two coaches notch 400th career victory

Joe Russo MEd ’82, head women’s soccer coach, and Dawn Henderson, head women’s basketball coach, both collected their 400th wins recently.

Words by TCNJ's editorial staff

Joe Russo MEd ’82 (top photo at right), head women’s soccer coach, and Dawn Henderson (bottom photo at right), head women’s basketball coach, both collected their 400th wins recently.

Russo’s milestone victory came in a 1–0 win over Richard Stockton on November 4 and made him just the fourth women’s soccer coach in Division III history to reach the 400-victory plateau. Russo has been the head women’s soccer coach at TCNJ since the program’s inception in 1990, during which time he has built the program into a national powerhouse. His teams have captured three NCAA Division III titles (in 1993, 1994, and 2000), qualified for 21 straight NCAA tournaments, and have the most team victories in NCAA tournament history (50). His career record now stands at 401–49–28.

Russo’s 400th win was also the women’s soccer program’s third consecutive New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) championship—its 15th in 18 years—and gave the team an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. The Lions lost in the tournament’s second round to Middlebury College.

Henderson became the 28th head coach in Division III women’s basketball history to reach the 400-win mark when her squad beat Ramapo College, 55–45, on January 13. It was her 354th win as head coach of the Lions, making her the most successful coach in program history.

(Henderson’s other career victories came as head coach of Worcester State College and Drew University.) She ranks in the top 50 nationally in victories among active coaches at the Division III level.

During Henderson’s 19 seasons at TCNJ, her teams have boasted seven 20-win seasons and made eight NCAA Tournament appearances. She was named NJAC Coach of the Year in 1994, 1999, and 2008, and co-Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2011. Henderson was also the 2001 WBCA District III Regional Coach of the Year and 2008 Russell Athletic/WBCA Region 3 Coach of the Year. In addition to her coaching duties, she serves as associate director of athletics.