Gabriel Rivera, an accomplished Division I Cross Country and Track & Field Coach with 13 years of experience, has been named the new Director of Track & Field at Long Beach City College and enters his third season with the Vikings for the 2019-20 season. 

"Long Beach City College has a tremendous history of athletic excellence, said LBCC Athletic Director Randy Totorp. "Our men's and women's track & Field/Cross-Country program has a combined history of 17 CCCAA State Championships.  I am excited to welcome Director Rivera into the Viking family and excited to support Gabe's vision for continued student athlete success."

Rivera comes to LBCC after serving as the Head Coach of Cross Country and Track & Field at the University of Illinois at Chicago and as the assistant coach for nine years. Before Chicago, Rivera spent time as the Assistant Track and Field Coach at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois and as the graduate assistant for Physical Education, Cross Country and Track & Field at Eastern New Mexico University.

While at the NCAA Division I level, Rivera coached 70 top three place finishers at the conference championships and qualified eight athletes to the NCAA Division I Preliminary Round of the National Championships. Rivera also coached NCAA Division II, where he qualified two athletes to the NCAA Division II National Championships and provisional qualification of the 4 x 100 meter relay. At NJCAA III level, Rivera was the assistant coach for the 2006 NJCAA III National Champions and directly coached six NJCAA III All-Americans.

Along with coaching, Rivera has participated in program fundraising and revenue-generating streams.

"I would like to thank Long Beach City College, the search committee and athletic director Randy Totorp for the opportunity to lead the cross country and track and field programs," said Rivera. "I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and I am excited to be able to use my past experiences in the college athletics to help support our student-athletes and the LBCC community. Our goals are to create a positive student-athlete experience; ensuring student-athletes are successful in the classroom is a top priority. Additionally, competitive success in the field of play is another important goal; helping our students mature athletically and to find success as a team at both the South Coast Conference and State Championships is another top priority."

Rivera received his bachelor of arts in Criminal Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2004 and a Master of Science in Physical Education in 2009 from Eastern New Mexico University. Rivera has been a member of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association since 2010 and has a sprints/hurdles/relays specialist certification, jumps specialist certification and strength & conditioning certification.