DENVER – One of the biggest names in NCAA Division II track & field history has joined MSU Denver as the new coach of the men's and women's cross country programs.
 
Nicholas Lara, a seven-time national champion and 13-time All-American at powerhouse Adams State, was introduced on Tuesday by Dr. Anthony Grant, director of athletics at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Lara will also serve as the Roadrunners' assistant coach in track & field, for both the men's and women's indoor and outdoor teams.
 
"We're thrilled to have someone with Nick's history of success, both as a student-athlete and a coach, come on board and join our athletic department," Grant said. "He separated himself from a strong field of candidates due to his impressive accomplishments, competitive nature, and the support shown for him from the local running community."
 
Lara inherits an MSU Denver cross country program in which the women, who finished sixth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, improved from 15^th in the region to fifth in 2018 while qualifying for nationals for the first time since 2014. The men's program, meanwhile, finished seventh in the RMAC and 12^th in the region and is seeking to return to nationals for the first time since 2015.
 
"I'm excited to be a part of Roadrunner athletics," Lara said. "Our plan is to get right to work in developing our outstanding student-athletes as we near the cross country season. We will look to push that momentum into our indoor and outdoor season preparations. I am grateful for the opportunity given to me by President (Dr. Janine) Davidson and Dr. Grant and look forward to a great 2019-2020 season."
 
As a student-athlete, Lara's seven national titles included five individual crowns at 800 meters. Indoors, he won three indoor 800 titles (2006 through 2008) and was a member of the 2006 and 2007 distance medley relay championship teams. He won outdoor titles at 800 meters in both 2005 and 2006.

Lara is a member of the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association Hall of Fame, the RMAC All-Centennial team and is a member of Adams State's Athletic Hall of Fame.

He was named the National Indoor Track Athlete of the Year in the 2007 by the coaches' association, and he was the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Indoor Track Athlete of the Year in both 2007 and 2008. He is a 12-time RMAC champion.

After completing his athletic career at Adams State, Lara joined the coaching staff and helped the Grizzlies to national championships in both men's and women's cross country as well as men's indoor track & field.

Lara then joined the Division II Southern Connecticut State program. He was named the 2011 Division II East Region Assistant Coach of the Year, and helped the Owls place third at the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships.

He relocated to Denver and then built the Johnson & Wales men's and women's track & field programs from scratch for the 2014-15 academic year as the program's first head coach. He had 16 athletes qualify for the NAIA National Championships in his three-year tenure.

In 2017, he co-founded Defiance Health, for which he is also the executive director. Defiance Health is a comprehensive medical, fitness and nutrition consulting company, which also actively coaches post-collegiate track & field athletes.

He graduated from Adams State with a bachelor's degree in human performance and physical education and later earned a master's degree in healthcare administration from Adams State in 2015.