Head Coach Miriam Mitzel was thrilled to announce the addition of Martin Gonzalez to the Men’s and Women’s Cross Country / Track and Field program. Gonzalez will serve as an assistant coach with responsibilities in both sprint and distance events.

In his second year, Gonzalez has helped produce three All-Americans in cross country, one All-American in track and an Orange Empire Conference (OEC) Women’s Cross Country Champion. Gonzalez played a huge role in the Dons run to the 2016 OEC Cross Country Championships where the women’s team finished in third place and the men finished runner-up. The men went on to place 7^th in the State Championships, improving on their 12^th place finish the year before.

Gonzalez returns to his Alma Mater Santa Ana College after a three-year stint at Marymount California University (MCU), serving as the Head Men’s and Women’s Cross Country / Track and Field Coach. At MCU he coached the school’s first Indoor Track and Field NAIA All-American in 2015 and two California Pacific Conference (CAL-PAC) Cross Country Champions.

Before MCU, Gonzalez spent 11 years as the head coach of the cross country/ track and field teams at Concordia University Irvine (CUI).  Gonzalez earned Concordia's first NAIA National Championship title in the year 2000 for Women's Cross Country. In 2005 and 2006, he led the CUI program to the #1 NAIA Best Combined Program in the nation and his men's team to Runner-Up at the NAIA National Championship. Gonzalez went on to produce over 120 NAIA All-American athletes, over 13 NAIA Individual National Champions, and multiple Conference (GASAC) and Regional (Region II) championship titles.

Gonzalez has earned his Masters of Arts in Health, Physiology and Exercise, and Recreation (HPER) and graduated with his Bachelors of Arts degree in Exercise Physiology & Leisure Science /Sport & Exercise Management. He holds a USTF Level 1 Certificate and continues his ongoing learning process by attending the United States Track & Field/ Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) convention annually.

Gonzalez currently resides in Garden Grove with his wife Norma and four children, Alexis, MJ, Annalia and Aabriella.