Miriam Mitzel is entering her 12^th season as the Head Coach of the Men’s Women’s Cross Country/ Track and Field teams. Before being named the head coach, Mitzel spent five years as an assistant coach to Jeff Clingan in both cross country and track & field.

In her first season as head coach, Mitzel led the Dons to a fourth-place finish in the Orange Empire Conference before finishing seventh in the SoCal Regionals. The team came in 11th place out of 24 teams in the 2008 State Championships. She continues to lead the Dons to success, as the team has proven to be legit contenders in the Orange Empire Conference (OEC), Southern California Championships, and the State Championships. 

Mitzel has guided student-athletes to top three marks in school history in the 800m, 1,500m 3,000m Steeplechase and 10K events from 2010 through 2019. Under her watch, the cross country/ track and field program has produced seven All-Americans, two Female OEC Cross Country champions, and has become one of the premier long distance programs in the state.

Prior to coaching at Santa Ana College (SAC), she was an assistant coach at Saddleback High School where her emphasis was primarily with long distance runners.

Mitzel attended SAC from 1996-99 where she studied Spanish before transferring to California State University, Dominguez Hills where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Spanish. Following her degree in Spanish, Mitzel received her Master's degree in physical education from Azusa Pacific University.

Mitzel resides in Santa Ana, California with her husband Brian and daughter Natalie.