NJIT Cross Country/Track and Field head coach
Jason Munsch has rounded out his coaching staff for this season with the hiring of
Natalie McAlister as an assistant coach.
McAlister, an elite performer as a New Jersey high school student-athlete and an up and coming coach within the state, joined NJIT in Summer 2022 after most recently serving as the head girls track and field coach at Watchung Hill High School from 2019-22. McAlister specialized in hurdles, horizontal and vertical jumps, sprints, and relays, managed her coaching staff, and oversaw academic monitoring while also serving as a substitute teacher and special education classroom aide.
McAlister's first high school coaching opportunities came during her assistant coach stints at Newark Tech (2017-19) and Benedictine Academy (2016-17). Her focuses on hurdles, jumps, sprints, and relays remained the same while also helping oversee strength & conditioning and fundraising efforts and team travel to Nationals at Benedictine.
Outside of her coaching experience - which also included a one year stint as a Sports Performance Specialist at Ultimate Track in Franklin Lakes - McAlister has extensive administrative experience that will aid in the operation of the Cross Country/Track and Field programs, including an internship with the New York Jets (2020-21) and serving as the EAA to the Vice President of New Jersey City University (2015-16).
McAlister was a standout at Newark Tech High School, where she graduated from in 2012 and earned All-America honors, six New Jersey state titles across indoor and outdoor competitions, helped finish second in the Shuttle Hurdle Relay at 2012 New Balance Indoor Nationals, and ranked in the Top 20 nationally in the heptathlon.
McAlister earned her Bachelor's in Sports Management from William Paterson University in Wayne in 2021 after a brief stint at Louisiana State University.
