Eric Abrams
Head Coach
Office: Gym 320
Eighth Season (2022)

Eric Abrams is in his 8^th season as the women’s cross country coach at San Bernardino Valley College. During his tenure, the Valley women have won two Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Championships and two Inland Empire Athletic Conference Championships. He received Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2016, 2018 and 2019. The 2018 team made school history by placing ninth at the CCCAA State Cross Country Championships. It is the first top 10 finish ever for the women’s program. Currently, The Valley women are Back to Back IEAC Champions. In 2019, Kimberly Pena became our second All-American with her 14^th place finish at CCCAA State Finals.

In 2017, SBVC finished 16^th at State and also produced the first-ever female State All-American runner, Alyssa Benavides. The 2016 group captured the first-ever PCAC title for any sport. 

After 15 years coaching boys and girls cross country at Cajon High, he feels blessed to have the opportunity to coach at the collegiate level. While at Cajon, Abrams coached eight league champion teams and led one or both of his teams to CIF each season except 2003. While coaching both track and cross country in his tenure at Cajon, Abrams led his 4x400 (2004) and 4x100 (2010) relay teams to 10th and 6th place finishes at the California State Track and Field Championships. Abrams was also an assistant for the CIF Div. II Runner-Up Cajon track team in 2012. His 4x100 girls were CIF Champions in 2011.

Having success with both sprinters and distance athletes, his true passion lies in distance. In high school, Abrams was his school's first four-year varsity cross-country athlete at Santaluces High School in Lantana, Florida. He held school records in the 880-yard dash and as the third led of the Mile Relay. He was also a state qualifier during the 1984 cross country season.

In college, Abrams competed at Western State in Gunnison, Colo., under legendary coach Duane Vandenbushe. After receiving his degree in physical education there, he graduated from Colorado State University with a teaching degree. In 2005, he received a Master’s of Science degree in Kinesiology from Azusa Pacific University.

He would not be in this position if it were not for all the quality coaches and mentors that have molded him into the person he is today. He gives much deserved credit to his late mother and father, Ernie & Sandy Abrams, for giving him a faith-based foundation to build upon. It is his desire to teach the women on the team to be disciplined both on the cross country course and in their course of study. He will strive to have his student athletes feel Capable, Confident and Connected going forward during this important chapter in their lives.

Today, Abrams is in his 25th year teaching elementary physical education at Lincoln Elementary in San Bernardino. God put him in the right place as that is where he met his wife of 19 years Erika Moralez-Abrams. They have two sons Jaden (18) and Brandon (15) and reside in Highland. He enjoys spending time with family, collecting antiques, fishing and road trips.