Stephen Saenz - MTF Coach - Central Michigan University Athletics

Stephen Saenz

Title:
Assistant Coach (Throws)
Email:
saenz1s@cmich.edu
Phone:
(956) 878-2910

Stephen Saenz is in his third year as an assistant coach with the Central Michigan track & field program. He coaches the throwers, one of the most successful groups collectively in the program.

Seven Chippewa throwers combined to claim eight places in the 2020 Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships.

Quiara Wheeler broke the 10-year-old women’s weight-throw record in the season-opening meet in December and then broke it two more times during the season, culminating with a toss of 64-9 ¾ at the MAC Indoor Championships in February.

In 2019, Saenz’s first season with the program, he helped lead the Chippewa women to victory at the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships in February and a second-place finish in May at the league outdoor championships. It was the best finish for the Chippewa women since they won the title in 2004.

Four Chippewa throwers -- Erin Howard, Marissa Dunn, Megan McElroy and Wheeler -- qualified for the NCAA Outdoor East Preliminary in May, 2019, and Howard went on to earn honorable mention All-America with her 19^th-place finish in the shot put at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Six program records in the shot put (indoor and outdoors), weight throw, hammer throw, discus and javelin have been set since Saenz joined the Chippewa coaching staff prior to the 2018-19 season.

Prior to his arrival in Mount Pleasant, Saenz served as the throws coach at Louisiana Monroe in 2017-18 and was a volunteer assistant coach at Michigan from 2014-16. Among those Saenz coached at Monroe was Alton Clay, who finished second in the weight throw in the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Saenz competed in the shot put for Mexico at the 2012 Olympics in London, is a five-time Mexican national champion in the shot put, and holds the Mexican national record in the shot put at 67 feet, 6 inches (20.35 meters).

Saenz, who competed at Auburn, was a three-time Southeastern Conference champion in the shot put and a runner-up in the event at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championships. He earned All-America honors five times in the event, holds the Tigers' indoors shot put record (20.08 meters), and in 2011 earned both the indoors and outdoors SEC Freshman Field Athlete of the Year awards.

Saenz earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Auburn.