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OLLU's Top Cross-Country/Track and Field Student-Athlete Joins Full-Time Coaching Staff
Posted: Sep 06, 2024

OLLU's Top Cross-Country/Track and Field Student-Athlete Joins Full-Time Coaching Staff

SAN ANTONIO (Sept. 6, 2024) - Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) has hired Jose Zapata as a full-time assistant coach for the men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field and cross-country teams. He joins Head Coach Brett Charlton, Assistant Coach Henry Spillers and Part-Time Assistant Coach Viridiana Zuniga.

Zarate is a native of Mentone Beach, Calif., and attended Highlands High School in San Antonio. He commented, "I am excited to be part of such a great team filled with talented and hard-working athletes and coaches."

As one of the Saints top student-athletes in program history, Zarate was part of the Saints cross-country team from 2018 through 2022, and every team he played on won the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) and went on to compete at the NAIA National Cross-Country Championships.

As a long-distance runner, Zarate ran track from 2018 through 2023. In 2018, the team placed third; in 2019 – second (2020 was canceled due to COVID-19), and in 2022 – third. The 2021 and 2023 teams were RRAC Champions. In 2022, Zarate qualified for indoor nationals in the 3000m, and in 2023, he participated in indoor nationals in the 5000m.

His individual awards include:

  • Cross-country: 2020 and 2021 individual medalist award and 2022 runner-up in conference; All-Conference in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022
  • Outdoors Track: All-Conference in 2018  in the 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 4x400mR and 4x800mR; in 2019 in the 3000m and 800m; in 2021 in the 4x800mR; and in 2023 in the 5000m and 1500m

His cross-country records include:

  • All-time record in the 8000m set in 2021 with a time of 24:56.3
  • All-time record in the 6000m set in 2022 with a time of 18:39.2
  • All-time conference Record in the 8000m set in 2021 with a time of 25:21.8
  • All-time NAIA Record in the 8000m set in 2022 with a time of 25:11.6

His indoor track records include:

  • All-time record in the 800m set in 2022 with a time of 01:57.17
  • Third All-Time Record in the mile set in 2022 with a time of 04:18.20
  • Fourth All-Time Record in the mile set in 2023 with a time of 04:19.32
  • Second All-Time Record in the 3000m set in 2022 with a time of 08:34.73
  • Third All-Time Record in the 3000m set in 2023 with a time of 08:46.51
  • Fourth All-Time Record in the 3000m set in 2022 with a time of 8:46.81
  • All-time record in the 5000m set in 2022 with a time of 14:47.80
  • Second All-Time Record in the 5000m set in 2022 with a time of 15:11.90
  • Third All-Time Record in the 5000m set in 2023 with a time of 15:13.73

Zarate graduated from OLLU with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology-Research in May 2022 and began his MBA.

He has stayed close to OLLU as a part-time coach with the distance groups for both programs. He also helped run a construction company full-time while continuing his part-time job at OLLU. Zarate has been active in running, as he has participated in a few races in San Antonio, recently placing third in last year's Downtown Turkey Trot.

The cross-country teams are competing in their 2024 season now through November. The indoor track and field teams will begin their season in late December through early spring, and the outdoor teams will start in mid spring 2025.