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The University of Texas at Arlington track and field program boasts one of the most decorated coaches in Southland Conference history in John Sauerhage. Now entering his 13th year as the head of the Mavericks track and field and cross country programs, Sauerhage is already the winningest coach at UTA and has led the Mavericks to 21 team championships. He has also earned an unprecedented 18 Coach of the Year honors. Sauerhage began his coaching career at UTA back in 1989 when he returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach. Sauerhage spent seven years as an assistant before taking over the reigns the fall of 1995, and continuing the Mavericks' success. All Sauerhage has done since he took over has been win conference championships. In his first year as head coach, the Mavericks won the men's indoor and outdoor conference titles, as well as the women's indoor title, and finished second in the women's outdoor SLC championships. For all of his accomplishments his first season, Sauerhage was named Southland Conference men's and women's indoor Coach of the Year, along with men's outdoor Coach of the Year. He also coached his athletes to eight all-American honors, and one athlete, Elston Cawley, competed at the 1996 Olympic games. The success did not stop after just one season, as Sauerhage improved in his second year. His teams repeated conference championships in the men's and women's indoor and men's outdoor, along with another second place finish in the women's outdoor. Sauerhage also led the women's cross country team to a conference title. In his third year at the helm, Sauerhage accomplished something that had never been accomplished in UTA history by leading the UTA women to the triple crown by winning the cross country title and the indoor and outdoor conference championships, a feat he would later accomplish a second time in 2001. Sauerhage coached the women's indoor team to the conference title in his first six seasons, as well as being named women's indoor Coach of the Year in each season. He has also coached the women's outdoor team to four straight conference titles and received four straight coach of the year honors from 1998-2001, the men's indoor to four conference titles and the men's outdoor to two conference championships. Sauerhage has also coached the men's cross country team to a conference championship and the women's cross country team to three conference titles, including back to back titles in 2001-02. He has three coach of the year honors in cross country, with one on the men's side and two on the women's side. Since Sauerhage took over as an assistant in 1989, he has coached nine athletes to individual conference championships in cross country and UTA athletes have won 68 SLC track titles in events ranging from the 800 meters to the 10,000 meters, including nine in 1994 alone. Sauerhage began his collegiate career at Louisiana State University, where he placed sixth in the Southeastern Conference in the 1,000-yard and mile distances before transferring to UTA. As a former member of the UTA track and field team, Sauerhage knows what it takes to be successful. He won the SLC title in the mile, is a member of the school record holding 6,000-meter relay team, and owns the second best all-time indoor and outdoor 1500 meter times with a marks of 3:51.50 and 3:49.35 respectively. As an assistant and as the head coach, Sauerhage witnessed the Mavericks dominate the previous decade. The men's indoor track team has not finished lower than third place in the Southland Conference since 1988, including eight titles. The women's indoor and outdoor programs are just as impressive not placing lower than third place in either season since 1991, earning a combined 11 team crowns, including seven straight indoor championships from 1995-2001. Sauerhage graduated from UTA in 1986 with a Bachelor's degree in physical education. He went on to receive a Master's degree in education from Northeast Louisiana University in 1988, while serving as a graduate assistant coach. He returned to UTA in 1989 where he took the position as an assistant track and field coach until 1995, when he took over the reigns of both the UTA track and cross country programs. As a prep standout at Arlington High School, Sauerhage was a six-time state qualifier and won the Texas 5A mile title in 1979. According to the TexasTrack.com, his time of 4:10.6 ranks ninth on the all-time performance list. Sauerhage is married to the former Lisa Buck. The couple resides in Arlington.
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