WE SAY “WELCOME TO CALDWELL” TO FOUR NEW COACHES AND “WELCOME BACK” TO A FIFTH AS THE ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT ENTERS THE 2023-24 SEASON WITH NEW LEADERSHIP FOR SEVERAL INTERCOLLEGIATE SPORTS
Acrobatics and tumbling, now in its second year at Caldwell as the sport continues its rapid ascent toward NCAA designation, has a charismatic young head coach in Amirah Boyd. The Atlanta native, at 22 among the youngest coaches in the country in any collegiate sport, took over a few weeks after graduating from Presbyterian College in South Carolina, where she was a standout member of the Blue Hose squad and an NCATA Academic Honor Roll member.
The men’s lacrosse program has built a strong foundation, and a big part of that resurgence is Blase Mantineo, who moves from assistant to head coach for 2023- 24. Mantineo, who coached at Division I NJIT for five years before taking to the Cougar sidelines as top assistant last year, is a 2017 graduate of nearby Montclair State University, where he holds several lacrosse records and was a two-time Honorable Mention All-American.
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TEAMS BEGIN 2023-24
WITH NEW LEADERS
The women’s soccer team should see a smooth transition with the addition of Sammy Adjei, who comes to Caldwell from 5.1 miles away at Bloomfield College, where he led the CACC member Bears for three years. The Iona University (bachelor’s) and Rider University (MBA) graduate also has extensive professional playing experience, having competed for the MLS New York Red Bulls and Danish Naestved Boldklub after representing the U.S. at the youth national team level and his native Ghana on its U-20 national squad.
The softball team sees its first coaching change in three decades as Lindsay Mayer replaces Dean Johnson, who remains as men’s basketball head coach and associate athletics director. A 2017 graduate of Fordham University, Mayer earned AllRegion, Atlantic-10 Player of the Year and Academic All-America honors for the Rams and comes to Caldwell following stints as head coach at Arcadia University in Pennsylvania and assistant at Division I College of the Holy Cross, Hofstra University and Wagner College.
The volleyball team begins this fall with former Concordia College head coach Sttefany Oliveira at the helm. Oliveira led the Clippers to appearances in the CACC tournament in both of her years there, earning CACC Coach of the Year honors in her second season as she engineered a fantastic turnaround of the program. The SUNY Buffalo graduate also coached three All-Conference players at Concordia and brings an infectious enthusiasm and strong coaching credentials to Caldwell. 🟥
— Jerry Milani
