University of North Texas Athletics
Molinares Joining Mean Green as XC/Distance Coach
1/12/2026 9:19:00 AM | Track & Field/XC
DENTON - UNT head track and field coach Doug Marshall announced the hiring on Monday of new cross country and distance coach Jafet Molinares.
"I'm thankful to (Director of Track &Â Field) Doug Marshall for the opportunity to join the UNT cross country and track and field family," Molinares said. "I'm excited to work with an elite staff and can't wait to get started with our athletes and coaches as we continue pushing the program forward."
Molinares comes to the Mean Green following a successful stint at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, where he led one of the nation's top NJCAA programs and coached All-American performers. He is the two-time reigning USTFCCCA Central Region Men's Head Cross Country Coach of the Year and also won the Women's award in 2025. He also coached the USTFCCCA Central Region Male and Female Athletes of the Year and individual national champions this past fall at Hutchinson, while the men's team finished national runner-up and the women claimed a third-place finish. In all at Hutchinson, Molinares coached 13 All-American performers combined in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
Before his three-year run at Hutchinson, Molinares was the coach at Fort Scott Community College for three seasons (one as an assistant and two as head cross country coach) and coached 16 All-American performers in cross country and track. Before that, Molinares spent one season at Iowa Central Community College as an assistant, where the Tritons won the NJCAA Indoor national title on the men's side and was runner-up on the women's side.
"I'm very excited about the hire of Coach Molinares," Marshall said. "He is one of the top young distance coaches in the sport. He will be great for our program and the future of our student-athletes."Â
As a student-athlete, Molinares was part of the 2013 NJCAA national championship half-marathon team at Iowa Central Community College before he transferred to Fort Hays State and ended up serving as a graduate assistant for the Tigers and coached an individual national champion, six MIAA conference champions and had runners set 14 new program records.
"I'm thankful to (Director of Track &Â Field) Doug Marshall for the opportunity to join the UNT cross country and track and field family," Molinares said. "I'm excited to work with an elite staff and can't wait to get started with our athletes and coaches as we continue pushing the program forward."
Molinares comes to the Mean Green following a successful stint at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, where he led one of the nation's top NJCAA programs and coached All-American performers. He is the two-time reigning USTFCCCA Central Region Men's Head Cross Country Coach of the Year and also won the Women's award in 2025. He also coached the USTFCCCA Central Region Male and Female Athletes of the Year and individual national champions this past fall at Hutchinson, while the men's team finished national runner-up and the women claimed a third-place finish. In all at Hutchinson, Molinares coached 13 All-American performers combined in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
Before his three-year run at Hutchinson, Molinares was the coach at Fort Scott Community College for three seasons (one as an assistant and two as head cross country coach) and coached 16 All-American performers in cross country and track. Before that, Molinares spent one season at Iowa Central Community College as an assistant, where the Tritons won the NJCAA Indoor national title on the men's side and was runner-up on the women's side.
"I'm very excited about the hire of Coach Molinares," Marshall said. "He is one of the top young distance coaches in the sport. He will be great for our program and the future of our student-athletes."Â
As a student-athlete, Molinares was part of the 2013 NJCAA national championship half-marathon team at Iowa Central Community College before he transferred to Fort Hays State and ended up serving as a graduate assistant for the Tigers and coached an individual national champion, six MIAA conference champions and had runners set 14 new program records.
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