OUR COACHES
Together, our coaches have accumulated over 40 years of coaching experience and have coached everyone from middle school to collegiate athletes. Their athletes have earned hundreds of NMAA state medals, dozens of NMAA state honors, and several NMAA state records.
Head Coach
Ben sandoval jr.
Coach Ben has been coaching for 7 years and has coached XC and T&F for all of them. Since coaching, his athletes have brought home over 60+ state medals including a runner-up finish in the 4x800 Relay, a Top 10 XC finisher, and a 3rd place Javelin Thrower. In 2022, the girls track and field program at Legacy Academy brought home the first state trophy in school history finishing 3rd overall as a team. They produced a state runner up in the girls 3200 (which also saw two other podium finishes), two hurdle medals, and a three time state sprint champion in the 100, 200, and 400 who also set the NMAA 1A State Records in the 100 and 400 and finished as the 2nd overall scorer in the meet as a sophomore. Under his leadership, the cross country programs at Legacy Academy have excelled. Since the first year (finishing 18th overall) competing at the NMAA State XC Championships, the boys have quickly risen to one of the best teams in the state finishing in the top 8 for the first time in 2022 and in their first year as a team the girls team finished 7th overall in 2022.
Head Coach
ben sandoval sr.
Coach 'Papa Ben' Sandoval is an NAIA All-American XC runner who graduated from New Mexico Highlands University and was inducted into the NMHU Hall of Honor in 2006. He has been coaching for over 45 years and has experience coaching at NMHU, Mesa Vista High School, Evangel Christian Academy, and Legacy Academy. Under his leadership his athletes have consistently brought home state honors including a Top 3 team XC finish, back to back XC team titles, state records in the boys and girls 400m at 2 different classifications (1A girls/2A boys), and state champions in various events including but not limited to the 400m and high jump. Coach Sandoval is one of the top running minds in the southwest.
Assistant Coach
Brooklyne Sandoval
Coach Brooklyne is relatively new to the running world when it comes to coaching. However, under her leadership the volleyball teams that she has coached have done very well. In back to back years, the Legacy Academy volleyball program has qualified to the state tournament finishing 12th and 3rd (unofficially) respectively. Her girls have received All-District, All-Metro, and NM All-Star Honors including the all time kills leader (756) at Legacy Academy Grace Greene who was a 2022 1A-3A NM All-Star Selection.