Coach Jonathan Harmon begins his first tenure as head coach under strenuous circumstances and like many cross country programs across the nation, CAC has an uphill battle to reclaim the National title.  Coach Harmon, however, understands the importance of the tradition that the cross country teams have at Central Arizona.  "I have some very big shoes to fill after my mentor Paul Tavares retired last season but I'm ready for the challenge.  I'm quite aware of the reputation that our program has not just for cross country but all sports".  Harmon has been with the program for 10 years now, the previous 9 as an assistant to Coach Tavares.  He is also is a Vaquero Alumni, helping win two team national titles in cross country and track.  "The first thing I had to do is learn the importance of recruiting, Coach Tavares worked harder than anyone I knew and that motivated me to put extra time and commitment to bringing the top talent from the country to CAC". 

Harmon also understood the importance of finding a suitable replacement for his position, so he reached out to one of his former athletes Leticia Shaban, to gauge her interests in being the next assistant coach.  "I wanted someone that understands the program, the expectations to be a vaquero, and that is continuing to do great things in society.  Coach Shaban was the top distance runner during her two years at CAC and continued that tradition at her division 1 school in Texas.  She is currently pursuing her masters in Social Work and works with underprivileged youth in the Tempe area.

"There is something special about coaching for Central Arizona", Harmon said.  "From George Young, Mike Gray, and Paul Tavares there is a lot of winning that has taken place and I'm ready to continue to strive for the success the great coaches at CAC have established"  Harmon is the first NJCAA Native American Head Coach for cross country in AZ, he is a member of the Hopi Tribe.  Coach Shaban is the first Hispanic female coach in cross country.

 Both are primed for continued success and remain grateful towards AD-Chuck Schnoor, The President of CAC-Jackie Eliott, and most importantly the community members of Coolidge, Casa Grande, and Central Arizona.