Adam Carslisle Named Assistant Coach For Cross Country, Track & Field

NEW ORLEANS – With the start of the 2016 season slated for later in the day, the University of New Orleans cross country team rounded out its staff with the hiring of assistant coach Adam Carlisle, Privateers head coach Benjamin Dalton announced Friday.

Carlisle, who will also serve as an assistant for the UNO indoor and outdoor track and field programs, joins the Privateer program after spending the last three seasons as head cross country and assistant track and field coach at Zachary High School. All told, he brings five years of prep coaching experience to the Lakefront as Carlisle held a similar position at University Lab two two seasons prior to his stint in Zachary.

"Coach Carlisle and I have crossed paths prior to UNO during my stints at LSU and Texas," Dalton said. "We are very much aligned philosophically. He has some familiarity to my coaching and leadership styles so I know he is someone who will help drive the mission of our program. With his uncommonly strong ability to communicate with student-athletes and his ability to find recruits, Adam has already had a huge impact on our team and our 2017 recruiting class."

During his time at Zachary High, Carlisle played an instrumental role as the Broncos improve each season and culminated with the best showing at the 5A level in school history in 2015 when the girls finished 12^th and the boys finished 14^th. Prior to that, both teams were 22^nd at the state meet in 2014 while the boys' and girls' squads finished 26^th and 17^th, respectively, in 2013.

With Carlisle on staff, the Zachary girls track and field team won five state championships in three years, claiming the indoor titles in 2015 and 2016 and the outdoor trophies from 2014-16. Along the way, Carlisle helped Bronco student-athletes set school records in the girls 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, 4x100 relay, 4x200 relay and 4x800 relay, high jump, long jump and triple jump while helping the boys establish new standards in the high jump, shot put, 1,600 meters, 3,200 meters and 4x800 relay.

At University Lab, Carlisle helped guide the both Cubs teams to a sixth-place finish at the 2011 2A State Championship and a pair of seventh-place showings at the 2012 meet. Three cross country runners – Haley Schwab, Hank Patrick and Logan Firnberg – earned all-state honors.

The U-High boys' track and field team won the District 7-2A and Regional II-2A titles in 2013, the same year the 4x800 relay team of Hank Patrick, Tyler Overton, Finberg and Malik Antoine posted a second-place finish in the 4x800 relay during the indoor state championship.

"I'm humbled to have the opportunity to start my collegiate coaching career at such an incredible place," Carlisle said. "The University of New Orleans has a phenomenal coaching staff and I am excited to be a part of Coach Dalton's vision for this program."

A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, ran cross country at Louisiana Tech for one season before transferring to Louisiana State University. He earned his bachelor's degree in history from LSU in May 2013 and is on pace to complete his master's degree in kinesiology from the school in May 2017.

Carlisle holds several professional certifications from the U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association, attaining Level 1 status as a Track & Field Technical Coach as well as three Level 2 certifications: Endurance; Sprints, Hurdles and Relays; and jumps.