Coaches

Cross Country
Track & Field

James Janota
Head Coach

[email protected]. (630) 428-6000 x 55154

James Janota has been active in Cross Country and Track and Field since the age of 10. He graduated from Holy Cross High School in 1994 and remains one of the most accomplished runners in that school’s history, earning most improved and most valuable honors four out of his eight total seasons. He earned two degrees from Dominican University; a Bachelor’s degree in English Education in 1998 and a Master’s degree in Educational Administration in 2002. He completed a Master’s degree in Educational Technology from Concordia University in 2013.

Coach Janota began his professional career at Saint Patrick High School in Chicago where he served as both an Assistant Cross Country Coach for two years and an Assistant Track and Field Coach for four years. In 2000, Dominican University, his alma mater, sanctioned its first Cross Country Team in its over 100 year history, and James was tapped to head up both the men’s and women’s programs. Since 2002, he has coached Cross Country and Track and Field at Neuqua Valley. During his tenure for all of these schools, he has coached numerous athletes who have become state medalists and dedicated runners.

Mike Kennedy
Junior Varsity

[email protected] (630) 428-6000 x 55162

A National Board Certified Physics Teacher at Neuqua Valley, Coach Mike Kennedy has served as Head Track and Field Coach since 2005. During his tenure, Kennedy has seen the team grow so large that a tryout process had to be instituted. Over the years, the team has earned 6 overall IHSA State trophies - 3rd place in 2010, 2nd place in 2009, 2015, and 2023, and 1st place in 2018 and 2021. Coach Kennedy was named as AA Track and Field Coach of the Year in 2005, and he was elected into the ITCCCA Hall of of Fame in 2023 During his time with the Neuqua Valley team, Kennedy has coached numerous state qualifiers as well as All-State relays and athletes. In 2005, Kennedy coached Prince Riley in the 400 meter dash to become the first Track and Field State Champion for Neuqua Valley. He has also coached two state champion 4 x 400 meter relays and 4 x 800 meter relays, and Ty Moss, the 2015 state champion in the 800 meter run.

Kennedy competed in Track and Field for Marist High School and for the University of Chicago mainly as a 400 meter hurdler. He also coached Track and Field and Cross Country at Marist High School from 1997-2000.

Jared Righter
Sophomores

[email protected]

By day, Coach Righter is a software engineer in healthcare and runs his own wood-working and engraving / lasering business. If anything needs fixing or improving, he's ready to help. He also enjoys web and graphic design when he gets the opportunity.

Finding his love for running at age 15, Coach Righter began competing at Sullivan High School (IL). He was All-Conference and All-Area in Cross Country and Track and Field, including qualifying for the 3200 meter run in his senior year in Track. After high school, he ran one year at Greenville College where they were ranked #22 in the nation for Cross Country and earned All-Conference and Freshman of the Year honors. Later transferring to Eastern Illinois University, he continued running Cross Country and outdoor Track while earning his Bachelor's Degree in business (marketing). While at EIU he earned All-Ohio Valley Conference Academic Honors, and was part of the 2007 Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track Championship team, scoring in the 10k. His personal bests are 15:03 (3 mile), 15:43 (5k) and 33:21 (10k). To date, he has run 14 marathons and continues to train for any races from 5k to the marathon distance.

Michael Rossi
Freshman

[email protected] (630) 428-6000 x 55209

Coach Mike Rossi has been stealing office supplies from Neuqua Valley since 2004. After several years of being an assistant coach, Rossi is well on his way to realizing his dream of getting kicked out of every high school running program in Naperville. He is our esteemed freshman coach. Coach Rossi is the 2008 NVHS team leader in bad haircuts and still holds several Naperville records for getting turned down for a date by Tara Grodowski (15 times in 2002—a personal best!). He enjoys cellular respiration and making up witty comebacks in his head for taunts that happened to him 10 years ago. Oh, and his mother tells him he’s handsome, so in your face, former NV Coach, Steve Saul!

Mike Kennedy
Head Coach

[email protected] (630) 428-6000 x 55162

James Janota
Distance

[email protected]. (630) 428-6000 x 55154

Matt Ragusa
Sprints / Jumps

[email protected] - 630-428-6000 x4629

Coach Ragusa graduated from the University of Illinois – Urbana / Champaign in May of 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree, specializing in Chemistry. While at the University of Illinois, he also worked in a research lab focusing on applications with nanotechnology.

Having grown up in Naperville, Coach Ragusa is an alum of Neuqua Valley who began his Track and Field career as a sprinter and pole vaulter. By the end of his high school athletic career, Coach Ragusa held school records in both the indoor and outdoor 4 x 200 meter relay, the outdoor 4 x 100 meter relay, and the outdoor pole vault. He qualified in his senior year for the IHSA State Track and Field Championship in both the pole vault and 4 x 200 meter relay. Coach Ragusa continued his athletic career at the University of Illinois where he vaulted for the Fighting Illini for four years, earning Academic-All-Big-Ten awards and vaulting a personal best of 4.91 meters. He even helped coach his younger brother Nick to break his own school record.

Kendric Cornelius
Sprints / Jumps

[email protected]

Coach Cornelius is a graduate of Palatine High School, where he first fell in love with the sport of Track and Field. He was a Mid-Suburban League champion and IHSA State qualifier, specializing in sprints and some mid-distance races. He went on to Carthage College to compete in Track and Field and earn a teaching degree in Physical Education. He joined the Track and Field staff in 2018, and the athletes in sprints and jumps have forever been impacted by his dedication to their improvement. While coaching at Neuqua Valley, Coach Cornelius is also a Physical Education teacher at Bolingbrook High School.

David Ricca
Throws

[email protected] - 630-428-6000 x4729

A 2003 alum of Neuqua Valley High School, Coach Ricca has been a teacher of Physical, Health, and Driver Education for nearly two decades. In addition to being the longest tenured Throws Coach for the Track and Field team, he has coached Football at the freshman and sophomore levels. Coach Ricca graduated from Taylor University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education and Health Education. He coached three years at Taylor University, working with the Football team. His class was the only one at Neuqua to ever be present all four years with all four classes in the same building.

He played Football while he was a student at Neuqua for two years before an unfortunate ski accident left him unable to play Football. Coach Ricca threw for the Track and Field team during his freshman and sophomore years as well. He finished high school helping coach the varsity Football team.