The 2009-10 season will be Julio Zarate's sixth season as an assistant coach with the Seahawks.  Zarate will run the distance training group as well as coordinate the strength & conditioning programs.

Last season, he earned a fellowship with the American Swim Coaches Association.  Only a select few around the country receive entrance into the program.  The fellowship program is a year-long mentorship program in coaching, aimed at developing the future coaching leaders of swimming.  Each fellow has a year to complete a project designed to advance the knowledge of the swimming body.  Zarate's project focused on NCAA swimming and what steps could be taken to protect and preserve college swim programs across the country.  

Zarate returned to the Seahawk swimming program after finishing his career at St. Mary's as the school's most decorated male swimmer in school history.  The 2001 Capital Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year, he holds three individual records (200 back, 200 IM, and 100 fly) as well as being part of the record-setting 200 and 400 medley relay teams.  Zarate also earned nine All-CAC honors and was a three-time team MVP.

The Germantown, Md. native graduated from St. Mary's in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in art.  Zarate is currently in his second season as a head coach with the Chesapeake Bay Aquatics Club (CBAC).  Overall, he has been with CBAC for six years. 

From the summer of 2006 to the summer of 2008, Zarate was a member of the Longhorns Swim Camp staff at the University of Texas at Austin.  The camp is considered by many to be one of the best swim camps in the world.  He worked alongside eight-time NCAA Division I Coach of the Year and the 2008 U.S. Olympic head men's swim coach, Eddie Reese.