For over a decade, Coach Francisco Padilla has developed elite hurdlers across Aurora and Denver. With 11 years of coaching experience in the sprint hurdles and 300m hurdles, he has helped athletes at Hinkley, Eaglecrest, and now Denver East turn raw ability into championship results.

His track record speaks for itself: 22 state qualifiers, 11 state finalists, and 2 state champions in the hurdles. At Hinkley he coached hurdlers who broke both the boys 110m and 300m hurdle school records and developed a two time 5A 300m hurdles state champion. At Eaglecrest his athletes added multiple state qualifiers and five finalists with the same technical precision and race day poise he now brings to the Angels.

Padilla is more than a technician. He is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, a Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, and a Certified Personal Trainer who owns a private practice and also works for Exos, a global leader in human performance. He is a featured presenter at the Track & Field Leadership Lab Coaches Clinic. As an athlete he hurdled at Hinkley for Coach Carhart before running cross country and track at Johnson & Wales University in the 800m, mile, and steeplechase, a diverse background that fuels a holistic philosophy: build athletes who are powerful, technically sound, and mentally tough.