Catarina Braz-Rocha

Biography

Catarina Braz-Rocha embarks on her fifth cross country season and fifth year on the coaching staff at Providence College. On June 3, 2021, Braz-Rocha was named the Providence College Women’s Head Track Coach, as well as an assistant for both the men’s and women’s cross country programs. During her first year on the coaching staff in 2021, Rocha helped the women’s cross country team qualify for the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2017. Rocha also has helped the women's cross country team qualify for the 2022 NCAA Championship. She was instrumental in coaching the 2022 BIG EAST Cross Country Individual Champion, Jane Buckley. In 2023 with Rocha’s support, the Friars had a record breaking first-place finish in the 4x1500-meter relay at Penn Relays. The program had a successful 2023-2024 season, beginning with another qualification for the NCAA Women’s Cross Country Championships. Rocha assisted in coaching the DMR team (May, Flockhart, O’Neill, Fenerty) that placed sixth at the NCAA Indoor Championships. In the 2024 outdoor season, Kimberley May and Shannon Flockhart represented Providence at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 1,500 meters with a second-place finish from May and a sixth-place finish from Flockhart. Rocha has helped coach the program to eight BIG EAST Individual Champions in indoor and outdoor track and 12 All-American Honors. The 2024-25 season was another standout year for the Friars. In the fall, the women's cross country team qualified for the