MALIBU, California – After serving as an assistant coach for the past season, former NCAA champion Sylvia Mosqueda has been elevated to head coach of the Pepperdine University cross country and track programs, Director of Athletics Dr. Steve Potts announced today.
 
"We believe Sylvia has made an impressive connection with our student-athletes and deserves the opportunity to continue to lead them," Potts said. "She was an elite runner herself and has had a noteworthy coaching career, including the impact that she made on the Waves in her first season here. We look forward to the growth and development of the program under her leadership."
 
Mosqueda replaces Robert Radnoti, who retired from coaching after 13 seasons in charge of the Waves.
 
"I'm absolutely thrilled to accept the head coaching position at Pepperdine," Mosqueda said. "It's been an amazing year getting to know all the student-athletes and staff. I'm honored to take a more prominent role at such a prestigious institution. Pepperdine has a real family atmosphere both on and off the track and that's apparent with the wonderful relationships I've gained over the last year. My goal for the program is to continue to build on the success that we've had over the past year with new personal bests and achievements. I want each and every athlete to go after their dreams with tenacity and it all starts here at Pepperdine."
 
The Waves fared well during the 2018-19 cross country and track seasons, Mosqueda's first as part of the program. The men's cross country team had its best finish at the West Coast Conference Championships since 2009 and their best-ever result at the NCAA West Regional. During track season, the women set two outdoor and four indoor school records, while the men set four outdoor records.
 
Mosqueda has been coaching in the sport for more than two decades, having served as the head coach at Los Angeles City College and as an assistant coach at Los Angeles Community College and East Los Angeles College. In 2009, she founded the TEAMosqueda Running Club. Her runners won regional championships in 2015 and 2016 and took ninth place at nationals in 2016. She has coached multiple runners to the U.S. Olympic marathon trials.
 
As a student-athlete at Cal State Los Angeles, Mosqueda pulled off a tremendous double in the 1987-88 school year. In the fall, she won the 1987 NCAA Cross Country Championship. In the spring, she won the 10,000 meters at the 1988 NCAA Track Championships. She set an NCAA Championships record in the latter that stood for 30 years.
 
Mosqueda competed at five different U.S. Olympic Trials between 1988 and 2004.
 
She had great success in both the marathon and half-marathon. She came in second place at the 1987 Los Angeles Marathon. She won a 2001 national championship in the half marathon and was runner-up in 2000. She competed for the U.S. at the 2001 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. She finished in the top 10 at the 2004 World Half Marathon Championships and was the top-placing American.
 
Mosqueda, who graduated from Cal State L.A. in 1989 with a degree in physical education, was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2007. The Southern California native also attended East L.A. College (where she won state titles in cross country and track and was later inducted into that school's Hall of Fame in 2014) and San Gabriel High School.