At Foundation Academies, athletics are about more than just competition. They are about growth, teamwork, strengthening our values, and building healthy habits for life. As we look ahead to the 2025–26 school year, our Athletics Department is proud to share several exciting updates that will take our program to the next level.

Knights in Shining Under Armour: Brand New Uniforms for All Teams

It’s a new era for FA Athletics, and our style reflects it. This year every FA team will step onto the field and court in brand new, redesigned, Under Armour uniforms — complete with home and away sets.

With fresh colorways and bold new designs, these uniforms aren’t just jerseys — they’re our scholar-athletes’ armor as they represent FA.

“These new uniforms are a major step forward for our program. I can’t wait to see our athletes take the fields and courts wearing them. We’re all Knights, and now all of our teams look like one FAmily.” — Tajaun Bush – Assistant AD, Athletics Operations Manager

A Game-Changing Partnership: D1 Training

We’re proud to announce Foundation Academies is the first school to partner with D1 Training Princeton, a brand-new, state-of-the-art training facility offering Division 1–level trainers, equipment, and opportunities.

This game changing partnership means that all FA Collegiate athletes will now have access to strength, nutrition, and conditioning training Monday through Saturday, both in-season and out-of-season. This ensures that every JV and Varsity athlete can develop their skills, improve performance, and build lifelong healthy habits in a professional environment designed for excellence.

“The D1 partnership gives our athletes access to the same level of training you’d see at the college level. It’s not just about winning games — it’s about building healthy routines, confidence, and discipline that will carry into every part of life. And we’re not just thinking about the Scholars - it’s all of our staff and FAmilies who help shape them as well, so stay tuned because an important perk is coming for you too. We’re all gonna be D1.” — John Paxton Jr., Senior Director of External Strategic Partnerships & Athletic Director K-12 Sports

Special thanks to D1 GM Khrystan Camillo for making this partnership a reality for our athletes.

Equipping Our Athletes for Success

We’re excited to share that through strategic investment and generous donations from external partners, the Athletics Department has added crucial new equipment that will support our program for years to come. Some of the new equipment our Knights will benefit from this year include :

Basketball and Volleyball Training Gun 12k by Shoot-A-Way, the most advanced shooting machine in the world will now support Varsity basketball and volleyball training. With live heatmap analytics, a fully interactive touchscreen, and instant feedback on shot performance, it’s a game-changer for skill development. We’ve also added a 10k Shoot-A-Way gun to our FA Middle Program, bringing skill development support to FA Middle Boys and Girls Basketball.
New tennis equipment, provided with support from the United States Tennis Association (USTA).
Baseball and softball gear, donated by the Trenton Thunder, including bats, gloves, and helmets.
Athletic Department Washing Machine, Dryer, Refrigerator, and Ice Machine to ensure all teams have fresh, clean uniforms for every single game and boosts to support nutritional well-being

“Having access to this kind of equipment shows our athletes that we believe in them, and we’re ready to excel. The Gun 12k alone will change the way our teams practice and prepare.” — Coach Najee Lundy, Varsity Basketball

Building Pathways: Junior Knights Developmental Program Expands

Athletic development at FA doesn’t begin at the high school level. Our Junior Knights Developmental Program continues to expand, giving FA Elementary and FA Middle scholars opportunities to explore a wide variety of sports.

This year, we’ve added:

USTA tennis
MLS GO soccer, Major League Soccer’s official youth program
Baseball

And we’ll continue our existing programs in:

NFL Flag Football
Junior NBA and Junior WNBA basketball
Trenton Youth Wrestling
Lacrosse

Expanding our FA Collegiate Athletic Offerings

Our high school program is also expanding to meet scholar interests with two new sports offerings:

Varsity Esports - led by Coach Steven Marchesano
Varsity Track & Field, led by Coach Varsha Dougba

And more to come, so stay tuned!

Meet your 2025–26 Foundation Academies Athletics Department

Athletics Leadership Team

John Paxton Jr. – Senior Director of External Strategic Partnerships & Athletic Director K-12 Sports
Tajaun Bush – Assistant AD, Athletics Operations Manager
Jamie Skarupsky – MS Coordinator of Scholar-Athlete Services & Operations
Varsha Dougba – HS Coordinator of Scholar-Athlete Services & Operations

Coaches

Coach Najee Lundy – HS Varsity Basketball
Coach Juan Perez Jones – HS Junior Varsity Basketball
Coach Corrida Tutt – HS JV Girls Basketball
Coach Melissa Whitaker – HS Girls Varsity Volleyball
Coach DaNae Williams – HS Cheer
Coach Steven Marchesano –HS Varsity Esports
Coach Edwin Benavides – HS Boys Varsity Soccer
Coach Michael Steen – HS Girls Varsity Soccer
Coach Varsha Dougba – HS Track & Field
Coach Caleb Stokes – MS Girls Basketball
Coach Aaron Ritchie Stokes – MS Boys Basketball
Coach Shanae Nance – MS Soccer
Coach Essence Tate – MS Cheer
Coach Ashley Ross – MS Step Team

Rep the Knights: FA Athletics Store Now Open

We’re excited to share that a brand-new FA Athletics Store is now open! Now our community will be able to rep their favorite Knights gear and show their FA pride on the sidelines, and beyond. Click the Athletics drop down menu on our website and navigate to the store to order your gear today.

Join the Crowd : Athletic Events Calendar added to our Website

We’ve added a brand-new Athletics Events Calendar to our website, making it easier than ever to support your FA Knights. We invite staff, families, and community members to come out, support our scholar-athletes, and cheer on the FA Knights in action!

Building Futures

As we look forward, the energy and excitement doesn’t stop with this year. In the Fall of 2026–27, the Knights will take the court in our brand-new high school gym when our new Collegiate campus opens — a powerful symbol of our commitment to building futures.

Let’s Go Knights! 💙💛

Looking Ahead: The 2025–26 School Year in FA Athletics