Anthony Palacio - Women's Track and Field Coach

Anthony Palacio

Title:
Assistant Coach - Distance
Email:
apalaci2@ut.utm.edu
Phone:
731-881-7588

Anthony Palacio enters his fifth season as an assistant coach for both the cross country and track & field programs after being elevated from a graduate assistant role in the summer of 2022. He became the school's first OVC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2025.

Last cross country season, the Skyhawk men’s team brought home the school’s first OVC Championship while Luke Johnson won Male Athlete of the Championship honors. Johnson was named to the all-conference first team while Angus Monro (first team) and Keagan Enicks (second team) also picked up All-OVC honors. On the women’s side, Maggie Roy was named to the All-OVC second team to become the first member of the women’s team to claim all-conference accolades since Brooke Skoog in 2023.

In track and field, UT Martin tallied multiple podium finishes throughout the season. At the OVC Indoor Championships, the Skyhawks won the men’s DMR title (David Stukey, Khalid White, Angus Monro and Tristen Bough), finished second in the women’s mile (Maggie Roy), third in the men’s mile (Angus Monro), second in the 400m (Khalid White) and third in the 3k (Luke Johnson). At the OVC Outdoor Championships, UT Martin landed on the podium in the men’s 400m (second, Khalid White), men’s 200m (third, Khalid White) and men’s 1500m (third, David Stukey).

During the 2024 cross country season, Keagan Enicks was named OVC Male Freshman of the year while earning second team accolades. The Skyhawk men finished in third with Sam Shuman (first team), Angus Monro (second team), Enicks and Brady Millikin (second) were named to all-conference teams. The women’s team captured two top-20 finishes with Maggie Roy (15^th) and Reese Settle (17^th).

In track and field, the Skyhawks earned podium finishes at the OVC Indoor Championships in the men’s DMR event (second, Brady Millikin, Angus Monro, Samir Smith and David Stukey), the women’s DMR event (second, Reese Settle, Maggie Roy, Janay Chapman and Rita Eimer) and the women’s mile (second, Roy). In the OVC Outdoor Championships, UT Martin took to the podium in the men’s 3k steeplechase (first, Brady Millikin), the men’s 4x100m relay (third, Chadwick Stewrt, Samir Smith, Braxton Sharp and Khalid White, the women’s 1500m (third, Rita Eimer), the women’s 800m (first, Maggie Roy) and the women’s 400m hurdles (third, Meg Wiginton).

During the 2023 cross country season, Sam Shuman (first team) and Luke Johnson (second team) were named to the all-conference men’s teams while Brooke Skoog secured a spot on the All-OVC second team to become the first Skyhawk woman in four years to earn the recognition.

At the 2024 OVC Indoor Championships, UT Martin earned podium finishes in the women’s DMR event (third, Rita Eimer, Lydia Tankersley, Janay Chapman and Maggie Roy) and the men’s long jump (second, MJ Jackson). In the OVC Outdoor Championships, the Skyhawks brought home medals in the men’s 10k (third, Luke Johnson) and the men’s 3k steeplechase (second, Sam Shuman).

Before serving as an assistant coach, Palacio joined the Skyhawks as a graduate assistant coach prior to the 2021 cross country season and also served on the track and field staff in a similar role.

Prior to joining the Skyhawks, he interned as an assistant coach at his alma mater Humboldt State for two years where the team had an individual qualify for the 2019 NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships.

The Fresno, Calif. native competed collegiately at Humboldt State University from 2015-19 for the cross country and track & field squads.

Palacio graduated with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in exercise science and health promotion in 2019. He is currently pursing a master's degree in sports coaching and performance program.