RIVERDALE, NY– Manhattan Men's and Women's Cross and Country and Track and Field Head Coach Todd Witzleben officially rounded out his 2025-26 Track and Field Coaching Staff with the additions of Justin Kleppel, Waddell Rembert-Jett, and Amanda Chambers on Tuesday morning. Assistant Coach Paddy McGrath remains as the Throws Coach for the Green and White.
Kleppel joins the Jasper family and returns home to Downstate New York after a four-year stint as a student-athlete for the Buffalo Bulls in the MAC.
Led by then Associate Head Coach Todd Witzleben of Buffalo's Men's Cross Country, Middle Distance and Distance Coach, Kleppel recorded career bests in numerous events, including the Indoor 60-Meter Dash with a time of 6.92. Outdoor 60-Meter Dash with a time of 7.13. Outdoor 100-Meter Dash of 10.86. Indoor Long Jump with a distance of 6.90m. Finally, the Outdoor Long Jump with a distance of 6.86m.
"I've watched as Justin developed from a walk-on at the University at Buffalo into the leader of the jumps squad," described Witzleben. "I'm excited to bring him home to New York and have him mentor our strong jumps program at Manhattan."
In his graduate campaign in 2024-25, Kleppel was named to the All-MAC Second Team for helping his team place second in the Men's 4x100 Meter Relay at the MAC Outdoor Championships with a season-best time of 41.62. Individually, he finished ninth in the long jump finals with a personal best mark of 6.81 meters. Kleppel graduated from Buffalo with a degree in Public Health.
Kleppel hails from Queens and attended Francis Lewis High School, where he claimed PSAL Borough Champion in the Long Jump with a high school best 22'5" in the respective event, with a mark of 11.84 in the 100m event.
Rembert-Jett hails from Columbia, SC, after attending South Carolina State as a four-year member of the Bulldogs Track and Field program.
"After a long search process, we found exactly what we were looking for in our new sprints and hurdles coach when we found Waddell," described Witzleben. "He has the knowledge and enthusiasm to build a program that will soon get noticed around the NCAA."
The Columbia native made his mark just two months into his collegiate career with a second-place finish at the Buccaneers Invitational with a 4x100m time of 41.04. Later that year at the Gamecock Invitational Outdoor, Rembert-Jett, once again, shone in the 4x100m event with a time of 39.63 and a top-five finish.
In the following indoor campaign, Rembert-Jett took the UAB Vulcan Invitational by storm in the 60m event with a time of 6.88 to finish atop the leaderboard in the respective event.
In his junior year, Rembert-Jett again claimed victory in a pair of 4x400m events. First, at the Samford Bulldog Open with a time of 3:16.34, while beating the previous time by nearly three whole seconds at the MEAC Indoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 3:13.64, to sit atop the leaderboard again. Rembert-Jett graduated with an undergraduate degree in 2022 and with a graduate degree in May 2025.
Chambers, a former student-athlete at the University at Albany, was a member of the Cross Country and Track and Field programs for five seasons, highlighted by three America East All-Conference accolades.
"Amanda was highly recommended as an up-and-coming distance coach," said Witzleben. "As an athlete, she battled adversity to become one of the top runners in the Northeast. She knows what it takes to be great. Our Jasper athletes are going to benefit greatly from her experience and leadership."
While a member of the Great Danes, Chambers captured her first victory as a student-athlete at the Central Connecticut State University Invitational in the 4x400m event with a time of 4:13.28. At the RPI Capital District Classic, the Schenectady native again took the 4x400m event by storm and posted another victory with a time of 4:05.82.
In the final event of her collegiate career, Chambers took home first place in the 10,000m at the IC4A/ECAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 34:18.13.
After her stint as a student-athlete, Chambers joined the team as an Assistant Coach for Middle Distance and Distance runners under the tutelage of Matt Jones and Roberto J. Vives. Chambers, under the historical duo, helped the women's program capture its 14th straight and 16th overall America East outdoor title, extending its longest active conference winning streak among Division I institutions. As a member of the Jaspers Track and Field coaching staff, Chambers will also join the Cross Country coaching roster.
Finally, making his return is former Jasper and current Throws Coach, Paddy McGrath '95. McGrath, a 2008 Manhattan University Hall of Famer, rejoined the coaching staff in 2019 and has overseen the throwing contingency ever since.
"Paddy [McGrath] will continue coaching our throws group. We have put together an outstanding staff that will lead us to MAAC Championships through strong coaching and recruiting," said Witzleben. "We're building a positive team culture that will provide our student athletes an incredible experience."
The Jaspers return to action on Friday, January 9, when the Green and White's Indoor season continues with a trip to The Armory to compete in the Lions Indoor Invitational hosted by TCNJ.
