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Ty Sevin

Ty Sevin

Ty Sevin was named UNO's head track and field coach on July 11, 2012.

A coach with the United States Track and Field national team program, Sevin was selected to rebuild the reinstated University of New Orleans track and field program.

A native of Cut Off, La., Sevin will also take the reins of the UNO cross country program that was launched last year.

"The ultimate deciding factor for me accepting this position was because I was captivated by the vision that (UNO athletic director) Derek Morel articulated in my interview and truly want to become a part of something special,” said Sevin. “I am very humbled to be selected as the head track and field and cross country coach at UNO and look forward to the challenge of developing a nationally competitive program."

"It is great to be moving home and I look forward to giving the community of New Orleans a new team to root for"

Sevin was chosen following a national search and became the first head coach hired by Morel.

“Coach Sevin brings to UNO a great understanding of what it takes to be a nationally competitive track and field program and has experienced great success on every level of competitive track and field," said Morel. "His expertise will go a long way in recruiting the type of student-athletes who will represent UNO with pride, passion and a commitment to excellence.”

“As a native of south Louisiana, his relationships and knowledge of our area will only enhance his ability to build a championship program. We are fortunate to have Coach Sevin on our team.”

Sevin had spent the last five years based at the US Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. where he has coached elite athletes that have represented the USA Track and Field program in the discus, pole vault, javelin and shot put.

Before joining the ranks of the UNO athletic department, the new Privateer head coach will accompany two of these athletes to London in early August to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

The appointment to the head coaching position at UNO represents a return to collegiate coaching for Sevin, who served two years as a head coach at McNeese State.

Prior to his stint in Lake Charles, La., Sevin served as an assistant coach with Michigan State, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. His previous work experience also included a 19-month period as the resident pole vault coach as the US Olympic Center.

Athletes under Sevin’s direction have accounted for eight US national championships, two American records and a Canadian record. Sixteen total athletes under Sevin’s tutelage have qualified for the Olympics, World Track and Field Championships or Pan American Games.

At the collegiate level, Sevin led McNeese State to an NCAA top 25 performance with the school’s pole vaulter Brad Gabeaur winning the 2007 NCAA Division I pole vault event.

An accomplished athlete himself, Sevin started his collegiate career at LSU, where he played on the football team from 1990-92 in addition to competing in track and field. He was a member of LSU’s national championship track team in 1990, when he was a finalist in the Southeastern Conference meet in both the decathlon and javelin.
Sevin then moved to Texas A&M, where he earned all-American status in 1993-94 while claiming a Southwest Conference championship in the javelin in 1994. A four-time US Olympic Trials Qualifier, Sevin earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Economics and History from Texas A&M in 1994.

The newly minted UNO head coach will now turn his attention to the recruiting trail.

"I'm ready to get the recruiting process rolling and will make it a priority to attract the most gifted student-athletes available,” said Sevin. I want to show the rest of the world what UNO has to offer both athletically and academically."

One major attraction to student-athletes is Tad Gormley Stadium, a venue that hosted the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials and more recently has hosted several NCAA conference championship meets. The facility will serve as home to the UNO program and has special meaning for Sevin.

"It's amazing to me that my first All-American honor as an athlete occurred at Tag Gormley Stadium in 1993,” said Sevin. “It is somewhat ironic that almost 20 years later this amazing facility will now be the cornerstone of our program.”

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
Mike Hazle, 2008 Olympian and 2011 USA national champion in the javelin.
“Ty has had the opportunity to master his skills as a coach and administrator by traveling all over the world and observing the most elite level coaches at the best training centers available. His international resume and coaching credentials are a testament to the depth of his knowledge. Ty has not created a coaching philosophy based on what he was taught as an athlete; rather he has had a chance to apply numerous training philosophies in real world situations with world class athletes. The result of this experience is a comprehension of how to develop a total athlete, not just the physical, but the mental and spiritual side as well. As a former world class athlete, I can say that Ty’s greatest coaching ability is the lifestyle that he instills in his athletes off the track. If Ty is still coaching when my son starts to compete, I know where I will send him.”

Ed Marcinkiewicz, former Texas A&M head women’s track and field coach
“Ty’s coaching experience is quite extensive. His ability to work with athletes at the highest level is unquestioned. His ability to develop athletes with talent, but without established marks is under-appreciated. That talent will be something that carries him to success at New Orleans. His experience working at McNeese will serve him well recruiting the state and understanding what it takes to be successful at that level. His reputation as an international caliber coach will lead to quality athletes transferring to work with him. Ty has the ability to take a start-up program and turn it into a national top 25 caliber program in time.”

Coaching Career
  • Led two athletes to an American Record and one Canadian Record
  • Kara Patterson, Women’s Javelin, 2010
  • Chris Hill, Men’s Jr. Javelin, 2007
  • Dana Buller, Pole Vault, 2007 (Canadian Record)
  • Coached 2007 NCAA Pole Vault Champion Brad Gabeaur of McNeese
  • Led McNeese State University to NCAA Top 25 Performance (Indoors 2007)
  • Led 5 Collegiate Athletes to 18’ Performance in the Pole Vault
  • Led Athletes to 3 Pan American Games Medals
  • Led Brad Walker (pole vault) to Bronze Medal at 2012 World Indoor Championships
  • Coached 7 US Champions
  • Jarred Rome, Discus, 2011
  • Mike Hazle, Javelin, 2011
  • Kara Patterson, Javelin, 2010, 2011
  • Becky Breisch, Discus, 2010
  • Tim Mack, Pole Vault, 2009
  • Russ Buller, Pole Vault, 2006
  • Brad Walker, Pole Vault, 2012
  • Qualified 16 Athletes to Olympic, World Track and Field Championships or Pan American Games
  • Jarred Rome, Discus, (World Championships 2009, 2011)
  • Ian Waltz, Discus (Olympics 2008, World Championships 2009)
  • Becky Breisch, Discus (World Championships 2009)
  • Russ Winger, Shot Put (Pan Am Games 2011)
  • Kara Patterson, Javelin (World Championships 2009, 2011, Olympics 2012)
  • Mike Hazle, Javelin (Pan Am Games 2007, Olympics 2008, World Championships 2009,2011)
  • Brad Walker, Pole Vault (World Championships 2009, World Championship Bronze Medal 2012, Olympics 2012
  • Stacy Dragila, Pole Vault (World Championships 2009)
  • Tim Mack, Pole Vault (World Indoor Championships 2010)
  • Toby Stevenson, Pole Vault (World Championships 2009)
  • Yu Suk Kim, Pole Vault (Olympics 2008, World Indoor Championships 2009)
  • Jacob Pauli, Pole Vault (World Championships 2007)
  • Chelsea Johnson, Pole Vault (World Indoor Championships 2010)
  • Becky Holliday, Pole Vault (Pan Am Games 2011)