PORTLAND, Ore. — Javier Olivas has joined the Portland State Track and Field program as a full-time assistant coach, head coach Ronnye Harrison announced Thursday.
 
Olivas joins the Viking program after spending five seasons at University of Maryland Eastern Shore, including the last three as a full-time assistant. Olivas coached seven athletes to the NCAA Championships and 10 athletes to the NCAA preliminaries at UMES, the highest total in the school's recent history. Olivas' athletes also broke 10 school records in his time at UMES, including records across the sprints, jumps and throwing disciplines. In his first season as a graduate assistant at UMES, Olivas led the program's throwers to school records in every throwing event.
 
Olivas oversaw several decorated athletes at UMES, too, including Owen Cain, who set the school record in the triple jump at 51-1, and was the IC4A Champion and MEAC Field MVP during the 2012 season. Additionally, Olivas served as the director of strength training at UMES both while a graduate assistant from 2008-10, and then later as a full-time assistant from 20011-14.
 
"Coach Olivas' successful history as a young coach made him the best fit for this program," Harrison said. "He has been very successful in developing his athletes' potential from good to great, which will make it possible for the athletes currently in the program to get where they need to go next.
 
"In addition, we share many of the same mentor coaches, which is a big plus in determining one's overall philosophy of coaching the events and people here at PSU."
 
Olivas will coach the multi-events, all of the men's jumps, the throws and the women's high jump for the Vikings, and will also serve as the program's recruiting coordinator.
 
"I want to thank coach Harrison and the athletic administration for giving me this opportunity," Olivas said. "Being able to utilize what I've learned to help mold the minds of young people to accomplish their athletic, academic and life goals is the ultimate treasure of my life.
 
"I've been fortunate to be around some great coaches. I believe in a lot of the same things that coach Harrison teaches, and I just want to learn from him and help any way I can."
 
Olivas spent the 2010-11 school year as a member of the University of California Santa Barbara's track and field coaching staff in between his time as a graduate assistant and full-time assistant at UMES. Olivas oversaw the vertical jumps, throwers and multi-events at UCSB, and coached one USA Junior National qualifier and two NCAA National qualifiers while at the school. Additionally, his athletes scored a combined 59 points at the 2011 Big West Conference championships, including a 1-3-4 finish in the high jump. Olivas also coached Derek Masterson to a personal-record score of 7,295 points in the decathlon, ranking him in the top 30 in the nation during the 2011 season.
 
Olivas holds a USATF Level 1 certification, and is a USTFCCCA Certified Jumping Specialist, USTFCCCA Certified Sprinting Specialist and a USA Sports Performance Coach.
 
Olivas was also an accomplished athlete himself in college, as Olivas, a native of Del Rio, Texas, was a NCAA National qualifier finalist as a thrower at Texas A&M, as well as a three-time All-Big 12 performer and a two-time all-region performer. Olivas originally joined the storied Aggies program as a walk on, but worked his way to earning a scholarship by the time he graduated in 2008.
 
"I have great respect for walk-on athletes that work through the process and are determined to succeed," Harrison said. "I strongly believe that that work ethic is contagious and it will be a benefit for our students to learn from someone that forged a career devoid of entitlement and benefit."
 
With his hire, Olivas replaces longtime PSU assistant Seth Henson, who left the Viking program for an assistant coaching position at the University of Texas.
 
"In the end, I needed to feel that the person who could best move this program forward after the great leadership that Seth had forged had to be from a similar mode, and coach Olivas is, without a doubt, that person," Harrison said.