Awards:
• 2012 American Southwest Conference Women's Sportsmanship Team of the Year
Alex Aldaco enters his fourth year as the head coach of the Concordia University Texas track and field programs and 11th year overall on the Tornado staff. The longest-tenured coach at the institution and the architect of all four track and field and cross country programs, Aldaco directly oversees the middle distance and distance runners.
Both the men’s and women’s programs had their best seasons as third-year varsity programs this past spring, as they each recorded their highest point total and the women’s team finished a record-breaking fourth at the 2012 American Southwest Conference Championships after placing sixth at the two previous meets. Led by Megan Wagenaar, who won the 800 and 1,500-meter events, the women’s middle distance runners compiled a league-best 34 points in the two middle distance races and Caitlin Rowlette was third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Wagenaar and Alison Pringle were named all-conference, while Wagenaar was also named the ASC Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year. The women posted 58 points after accounting for 34.50 in 2011 and 11 during the program’s inaugural season in 2010, while the men’s team posted a four-point improvement (58) at the league’s championship event. Furthermore, school records were broken and rebroken in 12 women’s and eight men’s events and a program-best seven women and four men made the ASC Spring Academic Honor Roll. The teams also had their first seven Texas Relays qualifiers in school history and the women’s squad was named ASC Sportsmanship Team of the Year.
Aldaco saw both programs show significant signs of improvement in their second year of varsity competition in 2011, as new school records were established in 14 men’s and 13 women’s events at the time. The men’s squad finished one spot higher in the team standings at the ASC Championships by earning 13 more points than they did at the same meet in their inaugural season last spring, while the women’s team achieved 23.50 more points than they did at the ASCs the previous year. Led by Alison Pringle’s victory in the 800-meter run, the women’s middle distance runners combined to score 27 of the team’s 34.50 points at the ASC meet. The combined total of 22 points that were amassed in the 800 and 1,500-meter runs was the second highest among the seven competing schools in the two events.
Freshmen Chris Randle and Pringle became the program’s inaugural student-athletes to win individual awards for their performances at championship meets. Randle was named an All-American in the men’s high jump by tying for sixth at the NCAA Championships after winning the event at the ASCs, while Pringle also received all-league recognition for her efforts in the 800.
In the Tornados’ inaugural season of track and field in 2010, Aldaco most notably mentored Joli Bula. The distance runner compiled nine of the women’s team’s 11 points at the American Southwest Conference Championships by finishing fourth in the 10,000 and fifth in the 5,000. Warren Sanders registered seven points for the men’s team after placing fourth in the 1,500 and seventh in the 5,000.
Aldaco, who has also been the head cross country coach at Concordia since 2001 and currently serves as the athletic department’s diversity coordinator, came to the school after serving as a graduate assistant for the distance running program at Texas Tech University. During his stay in Lubbock, Aldaco worked with multiple NCAA champions, including 2000 outdoor 10,000-meter winner Leigh Daniel. Aldaco also competed for the Red Raiders, earning four varsity letters.
Before attending Texas Tech, Aldaco started his collegiate career and undergraduate studies at Adams State, where he was part of its NCAA Division II National Cross Country Champion squad.
Aldaco received his bachelor’s degree in exercise sports sciences from Texas Tech in 1999. He resides in Round Rock with his wife, Brooke, and three daughters.
