Martin Palavicini - Track & Field Coach

Martin Palavicini

Title:
Assistant Coach (Multis)/Recruiting Coordinator
Email:
mpalavicini@csufresno.edu
Phone:
559-278-0045

Martin Palavicini (mar-teen pal-uh-vi-chee-nee) is in his third season on the track and field staff. He serves as an assistant coach for multis and is the program's recruiting coordinator.

Since taking over the multis group he has been instrumental in the rise of Jestena Mattson. After finishing 12th in the pentathlon and 15th in the heptathlon at the Mountain West Championships in her first season prior to Palavicini's arrival, Mattson won the pentathlon with a new program record (3,828 points) in 2017 and finished third (5,333 points) in the heptathlon at the Mountain West Championships. The following year saw Mattson place fourth in the pentathlon (3,791 points) before breaking the school's 22-year-old heptathlon record at the outdoor championships to take gold with 5,511 points.

Palavicini joined the Bulldogs after spending the previous nine years as the head coach at Clovis West, one of the top track and field programs in California. During his tenure, the Golden Eagles girls' program amassed a dual meet record of 75-1 while the boys' teams were 65-6. During three of his seasons, his girls' teams were ranked nationally, including his 2008 team that finished the year No. 1 in the country. He sent 33 of his student-athletes on to compete at the NCAA level and five who were part of their respective national teams. Individually, he helped coach three All-Americans, nine California state medalists, 40 California state qualifiers, 22 C.I.F. Central section champions and 35 conference champions.

At the international level, he has been a member of staffs for the Dominican Republic at the 2012 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships (sprints and relays), Nigeria at the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships (throws) and the USA at the 2013 IAAF World Youth Championships (distance and combined events). With the Dominican Republic he coached its men's 4x100 relay team to a silver medal and its women's 4x400 relay team to a bronze medal. In 2017, he served as Team USA's women's head coach for the Pan American Combined Events Cup.

Palavicini is a certified strength & conditioning specialist, a USATF certified official, a USATF Level 3 (combined events) coach, an IAAF Level 5 Elite Coach and a USATF/USOC Emerging Elite Coach in sprints, hurdles and relays.

A former national-level steeplechaser, Palavicini has served multiple positions for USATF Central California, including two terms as Association Vice President (2008-2011), Sanctions Chair (2010), Officials Chair (2012), Coaches Education Chair and High Performance Chair (2009-present).

Palavicini is a graduate of the National Institute of Physical Education and the National Sports Institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He earned a master's in kinesiology from Fresno State and a doctorate in exercise and sports sciences from the University of Leon in Spain where he graduated cum laude.