Assistant Cross Country/Track and Field Coach Gabriel Rodriguez

Gabriel Rodriguez brings a wealth of experience to the University of Texas-Pan American Cross Country and Track and Field Department in his first season as the assistant coach.

Rodriguez, a native of Newton, Mass., comes to UTPA from Florida International University in Miami, Fla, where he competed as student-athlete on the cross country and track and field teams.  He was selected to participate last summer in the USOC/USATF “Hi-Lo” Research Project in Dallas, TX.  There, he studied under Track and Field’s leading experts, Dr. Benjamin Levine and Dr. Jim Stray-Gunderson, in altitude-based research for distance running.

As a student-athlete at FIU, Rodriguez was a four-year letterwinner and three-time captain for the cross-country and track and field teams.  He holds FIU school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, 5,000 meter, 8,000 meter and 10,000 meter.  He was a nine-time All-Trans America Athletic Conference selection in cross-country and track, was named All-South District in Cross Country, was FIU’s Runner of the Year twice and received the prestigious Sun Belt Medallion Award for superior performance in athletics and academics.

“His outstanding success as a collegiate athlete and his work with club teams should help him make the transition to coach,” said Head Coach Dan Laufer.  “The student-athletes are very excited in having him around.”

In addition to his experience working at the “Hi-Lo” Research Project, Rodriguez has also worked as a Track and Field Specialist at the Brookwood Camps in Glen Spey, N.Y.  He helped to triple the amount of camp participation for track and field during his time there and managed and coached over 300 children between the ages of 6 and 17.  During the 1999-00 academic year at Florida International he worked in the Sports Information Office as an Intern.  While there he helped to redesign the FIU Athletic Web Site and worked on the production of athletic department media guides.

“I am beyond excited to be here.  To put my knowledge to use at the Division I level is what I’ve been waiting for since I graduated.  This program is going in the right direction and I want to be a part of it.  Coach Laufer has brought in a great group of athletes this year and I’m looking forward to working with them.  I want to help revive the Bronc Track and Field tradition of excellence.”

Rodriguez is currently training for the 2001 Walt Disney World Marathon in January, his first marathon.  He is hoping to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, in the marathon.