CHICAGO (June 18, 2026) – The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) has extended the contract of track & field/cross country head coach Paul Zavala, Director of Athletics Andrea Williams announced Thursday. The extension was approved by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees at its spring meeting earlier this year.
 
"Paul has built our track & field and cross country programs into consistent competitors in the Missouri Valley Conference while fostering a culture of academic excellence, personal growth and competitive success," Williams said. "His unwavering commitment to our student-athletes, combined with his ability to recruit and develop outstanding young people, has helped to elevate the standard of excellence for UIC Athletics.
 
"Under Paul's leadership, our programs have achieved remarkable success on the conference, regional and national levels, and he continues to represent UIC with pride, passion and professionalism. We are thrilled to extend his contract and ensure that the future of Flames track & field and cross country remains in such capable hands. Paul's vision aligns with our department's commitment to developing champions in competition, in the classroom and in the community, and we look forward to celebrating many more accomplishments together in the years ahead."
 
"I would like to thank Chancellor (Marie Lynn) Miranda, Andrea Williams, (sport administrator) John Flood and our Senior Leadership Team for the opportunity to continue leading this outstanding program," Zavala said. "Over the years, our coaching staff and student-athletes have dedicated themselves to raising our standards and elevating our Flames cross country and track & field programs to a new level of competitiveness. Building on my initial goals for these programs, we will continue to provide a strong culture of success and strive for our student-athletes to have a memorable college experience. I'm excited for the future as our programs work to further raise our standard of excellence."
 
Zavala recently completed his fourth season at the helm of the UIC track & field and cross country programs after initially coming to campus as an assistant coach in 2021-22. Under his leadership, the Flames have made steady progress at both the MVC Cross Country and Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field Championships, highlighted by a program-best second-place finish for the UIC men's cross country team at the 2025 MVC meet, with that squad also being ranked No. 12 in the Midwest Region, the highest regional ranking in school history. Together, the Flames' cross country teams amassed four school records, 17 additions to the program's all-time top-10 performance list and 56 personal bests last fall.
 
During the 2025-26 track & field season, Zavala helped UIC post a combined 27 school records, 95 entries on the program's all-time Top 10 lists and 169 personal bests. He also coached the Flames' distance medley relay team to a victory at the 2026 MVC Indoor Championships, the program's first conference title since UIC joined the Valley four years ago. In addition, under his tutelage, Alessia Sarussi became UIC's first-ever women's runner and the first Flames' track & field standout from either gender to qualify for an NCAA outdoor regional since 2017 when she earned a spot in the 1,500-meter run at the 2025 NCAA West Regional in College Station, Texas.
 
Through his four seasons with Chicago's College Team, Zavala has guided the Flames to 84 school records (track & field and cross country combined), 356 entries in the school's track & field all-time top-10 performance lists and 281 additions to UIC's cross country all-time top-10 charts.
 
Zavala's complete biography can be found by CLICKING HERE.
 
For more information on UIC track & field and cross country, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_XCTF) and Instagram (@uic_xctf).