Coaching Staff

CJ Werneke | Assistant Coach

CJ Werneke was hired in April 2022 and begins his first season as assistant coach at Binghamton. Werneke, a veteran in coaching, has seen time as an assistant and head coach in the BIG EAST, BIG TEN, MAAC, Ivy League and Southern Conference.

“The knowledge and passion that CJ brings to each program that he has worked with is exactly what I was looking for in my assistant,” head coach Allie Yaeger said. “His experience alone is something I am looking forward to learning from myself and I can't wait for him to help guide this program to many successful seasons. CJ has proved time and time again that he has a great eye for talent and is a top of the line recruiter.”

Werneke arrives at Binghamton following a stint at Columbia, where he served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the 2021 season. Prior to his work in New York, he was the head coach for Rutgers for over a decade (2008-2019).

In his final season at Rutgers, the 2019 season, the Scarlet Knights collected a pair of Big Ten wins, including a five-set victory over Northwestern.  Werneke also led the Scarlet Knights to a straight-set win over the eventual Ivy League Champion Princeton Tigers. The best season under Werneke was an 18-win campaign in 2012 that saw notable wins over Syracuse, St. John’s and DePaul.

At Rutgers, his student-athletes excelled in the classroom, earning several academic awards from the AVCA, BIG TEN and BIG EAST. His team in 2018-19 had the most improved GPA out of all Scarlet Knight athletic programs.

Before his time at Rutgers, Werneke excelled at Fairfield. In 2007, Werneke broke the 100-win plateau for his career. He was named the 2006 and 2007 MAAC Coach of the Year, and led the Stags to four consecutive MAAC regular season titles. In 2007, Fairfield finished with a 21-13 overall record and a 17-1 mark in conference play.

Werneke also coached 11 All-MAAC honorees, two MAAC Rookies of the Year, a MAAC Offensive Player of the Year and back-to-back Setters of the Year while with the Stags.

Before his tenure with the Stags, Werneke was an assistant coach at Rutgers. In those years, he served as the recruiting coordinator, handled all scouting and handled all game day and travel operations. The team put together three winning seasons over that time, with a 55-27 overall record.

Werneke graduated from Samford University in 1996 and has also coached at East Tennessee State, Samford and the University of Montevallo.

Werneke married the former Jennifer Smith on January 20, 2007. The Wernekes are parents of three children - daughters Rylie and Parker, and son Noah.