CHICAGO – UIC Director of Athletics Michael Lipitz announced Monday interim head coach Paul Zavala has been named the permanent head coach of UIC's track & field and cross country program, subject to approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.
 
Zavala, who has been part of the UIC coaching staff since the 2021-22 season, has served as the program's interim head coach since July 2022. He has a combined of 12 years of collegiate head coaching experience at four institutions.
 
"I am excited to lead the UIC Cross Country and Track & Field programs and be a part of the Flames family," said Zavala. "I would like to thank Michael Lipitz and the UIC administration for the great opportunity to guide our student-athletes toward future success."
 
"Paul has brought tremendous leadership and energy to our track and field program this year," said Lipitz. "His dedication and commitment to his student-athletes is readily apparent and will well serve them and our program moving forward."
 
As interim head coach, Zavala has led the Flames cross country and track & field programs during their transition from the Horizon League to the Missouri Valley Conference. Flames runners have broken multiple school records and set personal bests during the 2022-23 season. As well, the UIC cross country programs were been named USTFCCCA All-Academic teams in 2022.
 
Zavala came to UIC after spending the 2020-21 season as the director of track & field and cross country at Chicago State. Prior to coaching at CSU, Zavala spent two years at Benedictine University (2018-20) where he led the Eagles men's and women's cross country teams and was an assistant coach for BU's men's and women's track & field teams (2018), before being promoted to head coach in 2019.
 
At Benedictine, he led men's cross country to its first-ever Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Championship in 2018, the program's first overall title since 1991. In addition to the men's cross country title, BU men's track & field claimed its first-ever NACC indoor and outdoor titles during the 2018-19 season and had a male distance runner qualify for the NCAA Division III Indoor and Outdoor National Track & Field Championships for the first time since 1984.
 
Zavala's BU resume includes four NACC men's team conference championships, 2020 NACC Men's Indoor Track & Field Coach of the Year, six NCAA Division III All-Americans, 11 NCAA Division II national qualifiers, 12 NCAA Division II all-regional athletes, five NACC Athlete of the Year winners, 40 NACC individual conference champions and 93 NACC all-conference award winners.
 
Prior to joining Benedictine, Zavala was the head men's and women's cross country and track & field coach at Robert Morris University from 2010-18, where he coached four NAIA All-Americans and 22 national qualifiers. He coached eight individual conference champions, 43 all-conference runners and eight-time Puerto Rico National Champion Mizael Carrera (5,000m, 10,000m, half marathon and cross country) who was the 2014 Puerto Rico National Athlete of the Year and Puerto Rico's top competitor at the 2015 Pan American Cross Country Cup.
 
Zavala, a Robert Morris University alumnus, graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration (2008) and Master of Business Administration (2011). He competed for the Eagles and was awarded the Newcomer of the Year award before twice earning Most Valuable Player honors. Zavala was awarded the prestigious Eagle Award, given each year to the student-athlete who best personifies the ideals of intercollegiate athletics and the University. In 2011, he was inducted into the Robert Morris University Athletic Hall of Fame. Zavala was a four-time Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) All-Conference honoree, a three-time NAIA All-Region runner and the CCAC Freshman of the Year. He was also a NAIA National Qualifier for the Cross Country Championship Meet.
 
Zavala is a member of the Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association, and U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. He is also a certified in USA Track & Field Cross Country Specialist and Level 2 for Distance, Sprint, Hurdle and Relay and Jumps Events. Additional certifications include ALTIS Foundation, Horizontal Jumps, and Shorts Sprints.
 
Zavala and his wife Jenny have a three-year old son named Myles.