The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Track & Field / Cross Country
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- seth@utexas.edu
- Phone:
- 512-471-3757
Seth Henson is in his fourth as an assistant coach at Texas after an eight-year stint as an assistant coach at Portland State University.
Henson’s duties with the Longhorns include assisting Head Coach Mario Sategna with the field events and combined events athletes. He also oversees the Longhorns’ recruiting efforts as the recruiting coordinator.
The 2017 season saw Henson’s athletes make a significant impact in the Big 12 Conference and at the NCAA Championships. He coached the trio of Steele Wasik, Wolf Mahler and George Patrick to a 1-2-3 finish in the heptathlon at the Big 12 Conference Indoor Championship. Those 24 points helped set the tone for the rest of the meet as the men secured the team title by 13 points.
Mahler would go on to earn first-team All-America status both indoors and out finishing seventh in the heptathlon at the NCAA Championships and then eighth outdoors in the decathlon. His score of 7,897 points ranks Mahler as the No. 4 Longhorn in program history.
Wasik completed the indoor/outdoor sweep of the multi-events winning the decathlon at the Big 12 Championship with a dominant performance. He won with 7,715 points setting a Rock Chalk Park facility record in the process. Wasik also made a big impression on the meet finishing seventh in the open javelin and fifth in the 110m hurdles to score a total of 14 points for the team.
Henson’s jumpers put on a show indoors at the NCAA Champoinships with freshman O’Brien Wasome finishing third in the triple jump. His leap of 16.49m (54-1.25) made him just the fourth freshman in NCAA history to jump 16.40m. Sophomore Steffin McCarter took third in the long jump at the NCAA meet.
High jumper Spencer McCloud had his best season with Henson coaching him in 2017. McCloud scored at the conference championship meet for the first time in his career, finishing fourth indoors. He also scored outdoors for the first time, tying for fourth place.
In his first two years on staff at Texas, Henson worked with Associate Head coach Tonja Bufrod-Bailey with the sprints, hurdles and relays. In 2015, he saw Morolake Akinosun have one of the most successful seasons in school history. She pulled off the double in the 100 and 200 meters at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships and also ran on both relay teams to win four conference titles. She then proceeded to earn first team All-America honors in all four events as well to become only the second woman in NCAA history to score in four different events outdoors in back-to-back years.
Henson also assisted Coach Sategna in seeing Wolf Mahler win a Big 12 Conference title indoors in the heptathlon and then go on to finish sixth at the NCAA Championships. Mahler also finished seventh at the NCAA Championships outdoors in the decathlon after taking second at the conference meet.
On the recruiting trail, Henson helped orchestrate the staff into building the No. 1 recruiting class. The women’s 2015 signing class was named the best in the nation by Track & Field News that included a number of athletes ranked the best in their respective events not only in the U.S. but also from Canada.
With the Vikings he oversaw throws, combined events, and jumps, as well serving as the recruiting coordinator. During his tenure, his athletes produced 19 Big Sky Conference championships, two Big Sky Championships Outstanding Performers, three NCAA Championship qualifiers and 14 NCAA West Regional qualifiers.
His final season at Portland State was quite successful. During 2014, 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 secured the league’s outdoor women’s long jump. Those two, along with Cecelia Jackson, advanced to the 2014 USA Juniors. Jackson finished seventh in the heptathlon, third in the 100-meter hurdles and seventh in the 400mh at that event.
Henson helped former PSU football player Nevin Lewis nearly reach nationals despite never having completed a full decathlon before in his career. Lewis scored 7,268 points in his first-ever completed decathlon, then placed second (7,235) in the event at the Big Sky meet. Rockwell Tufty set the school record in the outdoor high jump with his runner-up finish at the Big Sky meet.
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 and then set a new school record at nationals (5,563 points). Additionally, Vinson won a conference long jump title in 2013 and went on to qualify for the NCAA West Regional in the event.
Earlier in his career, Henson, a native of Albany, Oregon, oversaw the training for Nick Trubachik, the Vikings’ 2010 NCAA Division I All-American, who placed seventh in the decathlon.
Henson’s first season was also quite successful. During 2007-08, athletes under his tutelage were Caressa Sims, who won the weight throw at the Big Sky Indoor Championships, and Trubachik, who claimed the decathlon title at the league’s outdoor meet. Henson also guided Trubachik to the 2009 heptathlon league championship.
At the end of 2014, Henson’s athletes held school records in 11 different events (women’s indoor shot put, weight throw, pentathlon, outdoor shot put, discus, hammer throw, heptathlon; men’s heptathlon, indoor high jump, javelin and decathlon).
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.
Prior to coaching at Portland State, Henson worked with La Salle High School in Milwaukie, Oregon, specializing in strength and conditioning, and working with the throwers and vaulters.
Henson was familiar with the Longhorn program before joining the staff. He worked as a camp counselor at UT’s summer track and field camps from 2009-14.
Henson resides in Austin with his wife Melissa.
