Trinidad State

Mike Salbato
Athletic Director

Alma Mater(s): A.A.S - Electronics, Trinidad State JC ’94 || B.S. - Organizational Management, Colorado Christian University '14 || M.S. - Sports Management, Coker University '15
Phone: 719-846-5653
Email: mike.salbato@trinidadstate.edu
Twitter: @MikeSalbato

Salbato assumed the Director of Athletics role in the early spring of 2015. Prior to becoming the AD he served for two years as Assistant Athletic Director/Sports Information Director to Coach Rich Holden.

Since 2015 the college athletic department added many programs to the list of sports it competes in with other NJCAA schools. The Cross Country/Track and Field programs were added at the Valley Campus and have had great success including two NJCAA National Titles. Those titles came in Women’s Half Marathon in 2020 and Men’s Cross Country in 2023. TSC added eSports to the valley campus in 2021. Beach Volleyball was added at the Trinidad campus in 2021 as well with the Trojans qualifying for nationals the past two seasons. The latest programs added at TSC were Men’s and Women’s Wrestling in 23-24. The men’s program returned to our roster of sports after being canceled in the early 1970’s. Women’s wrestling is a new sport in the NJCAA and TSC is in the forefront of this developing sport.

All of the programs continue to thrive at Trinidad State with 2023-24 being our best year in recent memory. TSC finished 20^th in the National Cup Standings, with five teams placing at national events. TSC also had five Region 9 Champions in 2023-24.

Salbato, a native of Trinidad, graduated from Trinidad State in 1994 and immediately started working in the Audio-Visual department under former Director of Technology Doug Bak. Salbato performed various jobs in the IT department, before being assigned the Sports Information and Web Developer duties in 2005. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Colorado Christian University in the summer of 2014 and followed that up with a masters from Coker University in the winter of 2015.

Salbato and his wife Melissa reside in Trinidad and have three children, Mara, Myka and Mason.  In his spare time Salbato works for KCRT Radio in Trinidad as their sports announcer.