Carlos Huaroto-Luque

Carlos Huaroto-Luque enters his ninth season at the helm of the Florida National University Volleyball program for 2022-23. Huaroto-Luque also previously took over FNU’s NAIA Campus Character Liaison responsibilities from January to December 2021. During that time he helped oversee FNU become a NAIA Champions of Character Silver Level institution, earning the highest ranking possible as an associate member school.

Named the 2021 NAIA CAC Coach of the Year, 2019/2016 USCAA National Coach of the Year, and a recipient of the 2017 AVCA Thirty Under 30 Award, Huaroto-Luque continues building a strong foundation that has elevated the Conquistadors to unprecedented heights. Since arriving on campus in 2015, Huaroto-Luque led the Conquistadors to the program’s first NAIA National Tournament selection, an NAIA Continental Athletic Conference Championship, two USCAA National Championships, two USCAA Final Four finishes, and three AVCA Team Academic Awards in his eight years. The program has produced 13 AVCA All-America honors (10 first team), three All-Region honors, four All-CAC selections, three USCAA National Players of the Year and 19 All-Academic selections.

Huaroto-Luque’s 2022 campaign saw the Conquistadors win seven of their last 10 contest after starting the year 2-8. This masterful run ended in the Continental Athletic Conference Championship match, where FNU fell 3-0 to the tournament’s host Florida College. Despite being unable to earn back-to-back conference titles, Huaroto-Luque’s team had three All-Tournament nods from the CAC (Paola Brandsma, Joanne Dania, Lina Valentino) four All-Conference Team selections (Dania, Layla Cortez, Gabriela Gonzalez, Lina Valentino) and three USCAA All-Americans (Dania, Gonzalez, Valentino). FNU volleyball also garnered four USCAA All-Academic honorees (Elis Cordova Millet, Liva, Sofia Moreno Bendala, Valentino) and three NAIA Scholar-Athletes (Cordova Millet, Liva, Valentino).

Completing a historic year in 2021, Florida National won its first NAIA Continental Athletic Conference Championship in school history and earned its first NAIA National Tournament selection. The Conquistadors were able to garner an AVCA All-American Honorable Mention and AVCA All-Northcentral Region First Team in Joanne Dania. Seniors Carolina Arrais Dantas and Gabriela Hernandez both earned AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention. In addition, all three teammates (Dania, Arrais Dantas, Hernandez) all received All-CAC First Team honors, while freshman right-side Kylee Jacquet earned a spot on the second team. Florida National also saw its school’s first All-CAC Freshman of the Year in outside Ariana Long and All-CAC Libero of the Year in Carolina Arrais Dantas.

In 2019, the Conquistadors won back-to-back USCAA Volleyball National Championship titles. Huaroto-Luque recorded the 100th victory of his career with a 3-0 win over the University of Maine-Fort Kent (Nov. 8). Maya Krapf, Gabriela Hernandez, and Andrea Romero picked up AVCA All-America honors, while Krapf was also named USCAA National Player of the Year. The FNU volleyball team was honored by the Miami-Dade County Mayor & Board of County Commissioners, for receiving the prestigious “Mujer Imagen” award that supports, promotes and celebrates achievements of women entrepreneurs in the community and in the City of Hialeah.

The 2018 season saw the Florida National University Conquistadors win the school’s first USCAA Volleyball National Championship. Huaroto-Luque coached three Conquistadors to AVCA All-America First Team honors in Camilla Kahlich, Carolina Arrais Dantas, and Ines Bawedin. Kahlich became Florida National’s first-ever freshman to receive First Team All-American honors in school history. Additionally, the program produced two All-Academic selections and an AVCA Team Academic Award (GPA 3.32). One of the top players in Conquistadors history, Ines Bawedin concluded a stellar senior year by posting a career high 32 kills (0.441) in the national title match while being named USCAA National Tournament MVP. With the help of her team and staff, Bawedin was named the USCAA National Player of the Year, the second-straight Conquistador to don this honor.

In 2017, Huaroto-Luque guided the Conquistadors to a 34-6 (0.850) mark and their second USCAA Final Four appearance in the last three seasons. The Conquistadors broke their school record of most wins and the longest regular season win streak in program history with a 12-match run. Three individuals received All-America honors in Adara Anselmo, Thalia Torres, and Silvia Galeano. Senior outside hitter Silvia Galeano also became the first player in program history to be named the USCAA’s National Player of the Year. Additionally, the program saw four players earn All-Academic accolades while the team garnered the AVCA Team Academic Award with a cumulative GPA of 3.42.

In the 2016 season, Huaroto-Luque helped the Conquistadors have the biggest turnaround in the USCAA for that season, improving from a 5-27 record in 2015 to a mark of 30-8 (0.789). The Conquistadors earned a program-best seed of No. 1 in the USCAA Tournament and were nationally ranked No. 1 in the coaches’ polls & power rankings for the first time in school history. He helped lead the team to the program’s first national tournament appearance and finished third. Three players were named AVCA & USCAA All-Americans; Silvia Galeano, Thalia Torres and Bianca Baez. The program also saw five players named to the National All-Academic team. Huaroto-Luque was named USCAA National Coach of the Year and earned the 2017 AVCA Thirty Under 30 Award.

Huaroto-Luque spent three seasons on the Westminster Christian School coaching staff. During his time at WCS, the Warriors made the Florida High School State Tournament three consecutive years. They finished strong as Florida High School Girls Volleyball State Champions in 2013.

Huaroto-Luque graduated from Miami Dade College in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Mathematics Education. He also earned his MBA from Florida National University in 2019. A native of Miami, Fla., Huaroto-Luque resides in Miami (Kendall) with his wife Jenny, daughter Valentina, and son Andres.