In 2006 the
Lady Eagles
went 32-6
and 9-1 in
the PSAC
West. They
finished the
season with
their fourth
consecutive
Atlantic
Region
Championships
as well as
winning the
PSAC
Championship.
Justice
directed the
2005 squad
to a 33-6
record, the
best season
in LHU
volleyball
history.
The squad
finished
first in the
PSAC West
with a 10-0
record and
won the NCAA
East
Regional
Championship
for the
third
straight
year.
Since
helping
start the
program 18
seasons ago,
Justice has
guided Lock
Haven
volleyball
past the
prestigious
400-win
mark, with
an
impressive
414-222
record. The
program’s
success has
been
particularly
evident over
the past
five years,
as Justice
has directed
the Lady
Eagles to a
134-40 mark
and a record
of 38-12 in
the PSAC
Western
Division.
After
struggling
in the early
years, the
Lady Eagles
hit their
stride as a
program in
1995 when
they won
their first
PSAC
Championship.
Since then
they
finished
first in the
PSAC regular
season
rankings in
all but
three
years, and
they have
qualified
for the NCAA
playoffs
every year
except
2002 and
2007.
The Haven
volleyball
team won
PSAC
championship
tournament
titles in
1996, 1999,
2000, 2003
and 2004 and
won NCAA
Atlantic
Region
championships
in 1997,
1999, 2001,
2003, 2004
and 2005,
advancing to
the NCAA
Division II
Elite Eight
on each of
those
occasions.
Coach
Justice has
been named
the PSAC
Western
Division
Coach of the
Year on
three
occasions,
and has also
merited two
Atlantic
Region Coach
of the Year
honors.
As Justice
has overseen
the progress
of the
program from
a club team
to a
national
contender,
he has
guided 39
players to
multiple
All-PSAC
West honors
while
another 22
have earned
All-Atlantic
Region
accolades.
In 2005, he
produced two
All-Americans
in Li Yizhi
(AVCA First
Team) and
Inga
Kurgonaite (AVCA
Honorable
Mention)
after
guiding the
team to the
Elite Eight.
A native of
Denver,
Justice
attended
Colorado
State
University
for two
years before
transferring
to the
University
of Colorado
in 1966
where he
finished up
his
wrestling
career in
the Big 8.
From there
he moved to
Southern
Illinois
University
where he
served as an
assistant
coach for
four years,
earning his
bachelor’s
degree in
1971 before
obtaining
his master's
degree in
1972. He
worked in
the high
school
wrestling
coaching
ranks for
several
years, and
was an
assistant on
four U.S.
Junior World
wrestling
teams
including
three who
won World
Championships.
He arrived
at Lock
Haven in
1985 as an
assistant
coach with
the Bald
Eagle
wrestling
program,
then changed
gears and
took over
the head
coaching
reigns of
the swimming
and
volleyball
programs
from 1991
through
1998, when
he gave up
the swimming
to
concentrate
solely on
volleyball.
He has
decades of
coaching
experience
in
wrestling,
swimming and
volleyball
under his
belt, and is
also an NSCA
and US
Weightlifting
certified
strength
coach, which
has been a
significant
advantage in
developing
the strength
and vertical
leap ability
of his
teams.
He is
married to
the former
Peggy
Mitchell of
Mt. Zion,
Ill., also
an SIU
graduate.
The Justices
have three
children,
Stephanie
(31),
Kimberly
(29) and
Thomas, Jr.
(27).
Stephanie is
a graduate
of Colorado
State and
both Kim and
Thomas are
Lock Haven
graduates.