Our Coaching Staff
Coach Chris Jacobs - Head Coach, Cross Country and Track & Field
Coach Jacobs began coaching at Del Norte after he finished competing at the University of San Diego on the Men’s Cross Country and Track & Field teams from 2005-2009. He has been coaching track at Del Norte since its first season in 2010. In 2018 he took over as the head boys and girls coach for both Cross Country and Track & Field. During his time coaching at Del Norte he has been apart of 3 CIF Championship titles for Track & Field, and countless league titles. He enjoys coaching at Del Norte, because it gives him the opportunity to watch a new generation of athletes embrace and grow in this sport the same way he did as a young athlete.
Coach Pablo Costes - Distance
Coach Pablo Costes has been coaching at Del Norte since 2014. He has been a part of the coaching staff throughout the many successes the program has seen including league championships and CIF section titles. He was a distance runner for the Nighthawks when the program started as part of the school’s first graduating class. Coach Pablo has been a part of five CIF Champion coaching staffs in cross country and track. The track team was an important part of his high school experience and his goal as a coach is to help provide that for new athletes.
Coach Ann Stefan - Horizontal Jumps
Coach Ann has been coaching long and triple jump at Del Norte since 2019 and is a USATF Level 1 Coach. She attended high school in Illinois, earning 8 varsity letters as an academically-focused multi-sport athlete. She Graduated from MIT in 2008 with a degree in Chemical-Biological Engineering. Coach Ann has a versatile athletic background, having competed in long jump, triple jump, sprints and relays, cross country and a half marathon as an adult. She also has a great deal of weight lifting experience and strength knowledge and is excited to help Del Norte athletes safely develop power, speed and a love for their sport.
Coach Mark Quiroz - Distance
Coach Mark came on as assistant coach for Del Norte’s Cross Country/Track & Field 2021/2022 season. Mark, a Del Norte Alumni himself, competed in the distance events during his time as a Nighthawk. He was a member of the school’s first XC/Track team in 2010/2011 and would later help the boys team earn back-to-back CIF Championships titles in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Post graduation, he went on to attend San Diego State University where he pursued a bachelors degree in Finance. After a lengthy hiatus from running competitively, he found a new passion in coaching. Coaching has given him the ability to tap back into his competitive nature while also allowing him to help his athletes grow and achieve their goals.
Coach Ruby Mandell - Hurdles
Coach Ruby began coaching at Del Norte in the spring of 2022. A Nighthawk alumni herself (2012-2016), she competed in the hurdles, relays, long jump and sprints. She held the 300 hurdles school record from 2013-2025 and was back to back league champion in all four of her events (4x1, 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles and 4x4) in 2015/2016. Ruby went on to The University of California Santa Barbara to study Art and compete on their Division 1 Women’s Track & Field Team, class of 2020. She left Santa Barbara 7th all time in the women’s 400 meter hurdles. She has coached 4 League Champions, 5 school records and the first ever boy in Del Norte program history to medal at the California State Meet. Multiple of her previous athletes have continued on to compete at the Division 1 level themselves. Ruby has had a love for track since her first race and is incredibly excited to be back at her former high school to help new athletes find the same sense of belonging, opportunities and passion for this sport.
Follow her Coaching Instagram here!
Coach Stephen Garcia - Sprints
Coach Stephen started coaching for Del Norte in the Spring of 2022. In his first season as Del Norte’s sprints coach, he helped our varsity girls 4x400 team all the way to state finals, the first in program history. He attended Central High School in Fresno, where he was the quarterback for their football team and competed on their track & field team as a sprinter. Stephen went on to The University of California Santa Barbara where he studied Biological Psychology and competed as a sprinter on their Division One Men’s Track team. His main events included the 200, 400 and both relays, earning all conference honors. Post graduation, he began his career in sports medicine. In his time at Del Norte, he has coached 4 league champions and 4 school records. His favorite part about being a coach is harnessing the competitive spirit within his athletes.
Coach Mayumi Athay - Jumps
Coach Athay began coaching long and triple jump in 2015 at Rancho Bernardo. While at RB she coached 5 athletes to the state level. Mayumi joined our staff at Del Norte in 2025.
She started competing track (jumps and sprints) when she was in the 4th grade, until she retired in 1988.
Through her coaching, she hopes that each athlete experiences the joy of jumping, and learn how to accept the results graciously, good and the bad.
Coach Jose Ramirez - Distance
Coach Ramirez is in his 24th year coaching track and cross country. He started his coaching career in 2001 at Valley View High school in the Southern Section. He went on to coach at Vista del Lago and Canyon Spring prior to 2020. Most recently he coached boys' cross country and girls' distance at Rancho Bernardo High School before crossing over to Del Norte. He competed in Cross Country for Mesa College in 1996 and is a graduate of the University of California, Riverside with a Social Studies degree in History.
Coach Emily Stevenson - Distance
Coach Emily has been coaching Cross Country and Track for Del Norte High School since 2017. Prior to coaching for Del Norte, she trained with and led outdoor fitness classes with Gut Check Fitness.
Coach Emily has been an athlete her entire life, lettering in 5 varsity sports in high school. She found her love for endurance sports first through swimming then running. She has competed in numerous 5Ks, half marathons, marathons, ultramarathons, overnight boot camp challenges and more. She loves the inclusiveness of the running community and supporting young athletes in becoming the best versions of themselves.
She has completed the following certifications:
USATF Level 1, USATF Level 2, USATF Cross Country Specialization, Gut Check Fitness Outdoor Fitness Instructor Certification, and NCAA Certified Counselor. Currently working on becoming a Certified Sports Nutritionist.
Coach Nick Barnett - Sprints
Coach Barnett has been the head coaching Track and Field at Del Norte since 2024.
As a former NFL player with 11 years of experience, Coach Barnett has been part of some of the greatest football teams in NFL history. Prior to being drafted for the first round of 2003, he was a part of a successful turnaround at Oregon State University, where they accomplished the first winning season in 29 years.
In more recent years, coach Barnett participated in an internship program through the NFL in 2018 where he worked with former Green Bay Packer head coach Mike McCarthy.
Since that time Coach Barnett has focused on youth programs, including coaching Pop Warner with LCCPW and winning the WCC championship as the Head Coach for the 14U team. He was a LB position coach at La Costa Canyon High School for JV and Varsity in 2022 and an Assistant Sprints and Jumps Coach. He has been the Head Football Coach for Del Norte High School since 2023
He is a high energy coach that demands kids reach their potential doing it the right way and is very excited to be supporting the track and field athletes at Del Norte.
Coach Austin Conery - Throws
Coach Conery joined our staff in 2025