Marshall Mecham
Artesia connection
Julius Acosta is the new head coach of the Artesia High School cross country team, having served as the head coach of cross country and track at Mayfield High School in Las Cruces since 2023.
Acosta, 27, is an Artesia native and ran varsity cross country and track for the Bulldogs from 2014–17. He said returning home felt like the right move both personally and professionally.
“My family, giving back to the community and being part of something great are the reasons I decided to come back to Artesia,” Acosta said.
Education and early coaching career
After graduating from Artesia in 2017, Acosta moved to Las Cruces to attend New Mexico State University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology in December 2021 and a bachelor’s degree in secondary education in December 2022. Shortly after, he began his coaching career at Mayfield.
Acosta did not compete for NMSU but said he continues to run in his free time simply because he loves the sport.
Artesia cross-country coach Julius Acosta runs in the Star-Spangled Dash 5K Run.
Goals for the Bulldogs
Acosta has not yet met with his new team, but he already has goals for when practices begin.
“My goal is to get to know my team and see how they respond to training,” Acosta said. “I want to build as much as I can with them.”
He said his coaching philosophy centers on building endurance through volume.
“I’d like for my runners to build up to potentially running two hours straight before a race,” Acosta said. “Building up that volume is important to me.”
A hometown return
Acosta said he is excited to return to Artesia and begin a new chapter in his coaching career.
“I’m very excited because of all the support I have,” Acosta said. “I’m also excited to experience something different in coaching here compared to Mayfield. I liked it there, but I’m happy to be here.”
Marshall Mecham can be reached at (915) 232‑1793 or on X @mecham_marshall. Mecham is serving with the New Mexico Local News Fellowship Program, which places emerging journalists in newsrooms across New Mexico. Learn more at www.newmexicolocalnewsfellowships.org.
