Henson hired as assistant track and field coach

Seth Henson, an accomplished collegiate coach and athlete, has been hired as an assistant coach for the Track and Field program, head coach Mario Sategna announced Thursday.

Henson heads to Austin from Portland State University where he assisted in all facets of the program. He oversaw the Vikings' throws, combined events, and jumps, as well serving as the recruiting coordinator. During his eight years, his athletes produced 19 Big Sky Conference championships, two Big Sky Championships Outstanding Performers, three NCAA Championship qualifiers and 14 NCAA West Regional qualifiers.

Henson, an Albany, Oregon, native, is familiar with the Longhorn program having assisted with the school's summer track and field camps for the last six years.

"Knowing Seth for a number of years, I feel like he will be able to come in and pick up on things to help in our quest for national championships," said Sategna. "He's well-versed in a number of event areas and that will only enhance our program. I feel very comfortable that he will do a great job working with our young men and women in order to maximize their capabilities."

This past season, two of Henson's athletes won conference titles and three were qualifiers for the USA Junior Outdoor Championships. Gifton Okoronkwo won the Big Sky indoor men's triple jump and Baileh Simms captured the league's outdoor women's long jump. Those two, along with Cecelia Jackson, advanced to USA Juniors, which was held earlier this month in Eugene, Ore.

During 2013, Henson led Joenisha Vinson to victories in the pentathlon and heptathlon at the Big Sky meets. She was tabbed the Big Sky Athlete of the Meet at both the indoor and outdoor events. Vinson also became the school's first woman to qualify for the NCAA heptathlon at the Division I level.

"I'm honored at the opportunity to work alongside such a great coaching staff," said Henson. "I think knowing Mario and the rest of the staff will make the transition easier. Many of the current athletes I have worked with at camps, so there will be a lot of familiar faces."

Earlier in his career, Henson oversaw the training for Nick Trubachik, the Vikings' 2010 NCAA Division I All-American, who placed seventh in the decathlon that season.

Prior to his coaching experience, Henson was a standout athlete at PSU. He ended his career ranked fourth all-time in school history in the indoor shot put, fifth in the decathlon and sixth in the discus. He still ranks in the top 10 of all three categories and graduated in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in community health with a focus on physical activity and exercise.

Henson spent the last seven years working under head coach Ronnye Harrison.

"Coaching at my alma mater was such a blessing for me and I had a chance to work with some great people," said Henson. "To be able to step on the other side and see the program keep moving forward was a highly informative and wonderful experience. The valuable lessons that I learned are going to stick with me for the rest of my career."

Henson will begin his tenure on the Forty Acres on Aug. 6.

"I want to thank Mario and the coaching staff for seeing value in what I can bring to the Longhorn Track and Field program," said Henson. "I'm truly excited to be at The University of Texas and will do whatever I can to help the men and women's track and field program win national championships."

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics