Vicente Velarde enters his sixth season as the head coach of UC Merced men’s and women’s cross country and his fourth season leading the Bobcats Outdoor Track teams in 2025-26. Prior to being named head coach, Velarde served as the Bobcats assistant coach from 2015-19.
Throughout his tenure as head coach, Velarde has produced 34 California Pacific Conference Individual Champions on the track and three on the cross country course. As a team, UC Merced has swept three consecutive Cal Pac Outdoor Track Championships. UC Merced swept the Cal Pac Cross Country Championship in 2024. Also of note, Velarde has swept the Cal Pac Coach of the Year awards for outdoor track three consecutive seasons and swept the Cal Pac Cross Country Coach of the Year awards in 2024. He has coached 26 NAIA National Championship qualifiers.
In his first year in 2023 leading outdoor track, Velarde was named the Cal Pac Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track Coach of the Year after leading both of his teams to Cal Pac Championships. Also of note, Jonathan Chavez was named the Cal Pac Male Athlete of the Year and Elizette Ysais was named the Cal Pac Female Athlete of the Year. Men’s distance runner Corbin Farias was named the Jim Davies Award Winner as the Cal Pac Male Scholar Athlete of the Year.
During the 2022 cross country season, Velarde coached both his men’s and women’s teams to runner-up finishes at the Cal Pac Championships. In addition, his women claimed all four Cal Pac national championship individual qualifying berths, including Elizette Ysais who ran the fastest national championship race in program history with a time of 18:54. Three men qualified under Velarde’s watch, including Cal Pac Champion Jonathan Chavez. Chavez became Velarde’s first ever Cal Pac Champion and just the program’s second all-time. Overall, Velarde coached eight student athletes to All-Cal Pac recognition. Earlier in the season, his women’s team won the William Jessup Invitational.
The inaugural outdoor track season turned into a dream season for Velarde. Both the men’s and women’s teams dominated competition on their way to a Cal Pac Championship, and seven individuals were named Cal Pac Champions in their events. In addition, three relay teams stood on top of the podium. A total of 33 student athletes earned All-Cal Pac honors, including Chavez and Sharvin Manjrekar who earned All-Cal Pac honors in five and four events, respectively. Both Chavez and Manjrekar qualified for the NAIA National Championships in the 1500m. Chavez also qualified in the 5000m. UC Merced also swept the conference’s major awards in the inaugural season. Velarde was named the Cal Pac Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year, Chavez was named the Male Athlete of the Year after taking first in all five of his events, and Ysais was named the Female Athlete of the Year.
Velarde’s coaching led both his teams to runner-up finishes at the California Pacific Conference Championships in 2022. Jonathan Chavez and Elizette Ysais earned All-Cal Pac First Team honors, and a combined five Bobcats qualified for the NAIA National Championships. At the NAIA meet, Ysais produced the best national meet result in program history. Earlier in the season, Velarde guided his teams to win the Ryan Nunez Bobcat Invitational, which was the first meet on campus since 2015. On October 23, Alexandra Lopez ran the fastest time in UC Merced history, crossing the finish line in 18:41.5 at the William Jessup Warrior Invitational. Six other Bobcats, three men and three women, found their way onto the program’s all-time top ten list. Two of Velarde’s student athletes, Chavez and Daniel Herrera, also were voted onto the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team for their stellar performance both on the course and in the classroom.
His first year at the helm was a success. Velarde coached a combined eleven All-Cal Pac selections, a program-record eight individual National Championship Qualifier’s and had six different Bobcats earn four Top five finishes. One of his freshmen, Elizette Ysais, made history as she won the Dominican Tri-Meet back-to-back weekends. Prior to Ysais, no other Bobcat had ever earned multiple first-place finishes in the same season. Additionally, both his men’s and women’s team won the Pacific Union Pioneer Invitational on March 14, 2021. A week later at the California Pacific Conference Championships, both of Velarde’s squads finished runner-up.
During his five years as an assistant coach, Velarde had been instrumental in coaching 16 individuals who qualified for the NAIA National Championships and was part of Mike Barbee's coaching staff when the 2018 men's team became the first in program history to be nationally ranked. The Top 25 team was also the first in program history to earn an at-large berth to the NAIA National Championships. Velarde also worked closely with 2X All-American Anthony Tyler. Other notables include coaching eleven All-California Pacific Conference First Team honorees, six first place finishes (three men, three women), five individual first place finishes (three men, two women), and his teams have never finished lower than third at the Cal Pac Championships.
Velarde, a lifelong Madera, Calif., native, has been a familiar face during the recruiting process since coming to the program in 2015 and has consistently had success with Merced and Madera products. Karina Martinez, a Madera South alum, still holds the Bobcats second fastest 5K time with a time of 18:42. The standard was set the same year Velarde's role expanded, a role that saw him take on additional duties with the women's team specifically.
Velarde originally began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach at Madera South High School (2009-2013). He was named the assistant coach at Madera High School for both cross country and track & field in July of 2014. The following summer, Velarde joined the coaching staff of his Fresno City College teammate, the late Ryan Nunez, at UC Merced.
Additionally at Madera South, Velarde helped guide the Stallions to a second place finish at the 2013 Division One State Championships and an automatic bid to the Nike Cross Nationals.
A graduate of Fresno State with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, Velarde started his collegiate years at Fresno City College where he served as the team captain and placed sixth overall in his first California Community College State Meet (2007). Other accolades while at FCC include Dean's List honors and the Bill Camp Memorial Award.
Velarde has his USATF Level 1 Certification, Strength & Conditioning Coach Certification and Head Collegiate Coach Certification through USTFCCCA Track & Field Academy.
Velarde is married to successful Fresno State runner Carina Velarde. The two have a daughter, Penelope, and a son, Ryan. The Velarde family currently reside in Madera.
