Why The NJIT Highlanders Prove That There Is No Such Thing As An Underdog



Considered one of the best engineering schools in the country, NJIT is far more synonymous with producing the nation's brightest technical minds than it is All-Americans. The school's tough admission standards, as well as its less-than-desirable location in the middle of downtown Newark, New Jersey, do it no favors when it comes to attracting student-athletes. Their primary indoor athletics facility, the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center, would be impressive... if the Highlanders sponsored high school sports.




When it comes to scheduling games, finding teams to face off against during the non-conference season isn't that difficult, mainly because big schools perceive the Highlanders as a "cup-cake" - an easy way to fill their stands and secure a win in the process. Of course, when conference play begins and teams are locked into schedules created years before, finding opponents can be downright impossible. Moreover, no conference means no championships, and so the student-athletes of NJIT's athletics program play only for pride.

It is an understatement to say that the New Jersey Institute of Technology faces an uphill battle in winning on college sports' highest level. Yet since becoming members of Division I in 2006, the Highlanders have become nothing short of a paradox. Not only have they been competitive in many of the sports that they sponsor, but winning is becoming more common place. This philosophy is due in large part to the leadership of NJIT athletics director Lenny Kaplan, whose unassuming demeanor masks an "us against the world" attitude which now permeates throughout the entire Highlanders program.

"Sometimes the least collegial things about college in this country is athletics," opines Kaplan. "Everyone talks about student-athlete welfare, how we should do everything we can to ease make sure athletics doesn't jeopardize education, but in reality it's all about the money. If it weren't, then schools like [NJIT] wouldn't be left out to dry, and our student-athletes along with them. We struggle every day to give our kids the best educations and the best athletic experiences that we can offer, but it doesn't change the fact that they're getting left out by the NCAA," he adds.


The NJIT Highlanders have proved repeatedly that success in sports, as in life, is all about attitude.

How has NJIT managed to thrive under such difficult circumstances?




"When a kid sets foot on our campus, they know exactly what they're getting into. While they understand that we can't always offer the same amenities that larger schools can, they also know that everything they do, they're making history. They're not following in anyone's footsteps, they're creating the path for others to follow," explains Kaplan. "Our student athletes are true believers, they aren't always the fastest or the strongest but that matters less than character and capacity to sacrifice. And never, under any circumstance, do they feel entitled."

Very few athletic programs have open door policies when it comes to speaking to top levels of administration on any issue. Most who don't sponsor football won't employ a full complement of strength and conditioning and athletic training staff. Almost none can claim that the majority of the coaches within the department have local roots. Yet these are but a few characteristics that make the NJIT unique. It's also the reason why Highlander student-athletes do not necessarily believe that they are at a disadvantage

"I challenge anyone out there to prove that they try to offer their student-athletes greater levels of support than we do at NJIT," proclaims Kaplan. "Just because we don't have the same facilities, or can't fly around on our own plane doesn't mean that each and every athlete here isn't receiving a first-class experience in the areas that matter.”



