Randall Flach enters his third season with the South Alabama track and field program in 2011-12 to coach men's and women's track and field athletes in the pole vault, high jump, long jump, triple jump, sprints, hurdles, heptathlon, decathlon and pentathlon.
Flach's most decorated product, Lindsay Schwartz was a three-time NCAA All-American, a United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association Academic All--American, a two-time SBC indoor pentathlon, three-time outdoor heptathlon champion, 2011-12 USA Female Athlete of the Year and the 2011 SBC Outstanding Field performer Lindsay Schwartz. Flach also coached Schwartz to the 2012 United States Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., where she eventually finished 14th overall with a school-record 5,614 points in the heptathlon.
Flach also coached 2012 SBC indoor 200-meter champion Anton Graphenreed, 2011 pole vault champion Connor Smith, pentathlon and heptathlon all-SBC honoree and NCAA javelin qualifier Leah Hixon, USA men's heptathlon record holder Garrett Schumacher, Noelle Jones, who was a two-time NCAA qualifier in the women's javelin and all-conference performer in the high jump and javelin, and Briana Aiken - indoor triple jump school record holder and all-conference poel vaulter.
In his first season at USA, Flach coached regional qualifier Emily Sawyer (pole vault, 2009) as well as the women's indoor triple jump record holder, Louise Faye (12.00m/39-04.50).
Jaguar pole vaulter Vince Frawley set a new outdoor school record under Flach with a vault of 5.07m/16-07.50, while Josh Jones broke the program's record in the Indoor Heptathlon with 4,662 points at the 2010 Sun Belt Conference Championships.
Flach came to USA after previously coaching at Iowa Western Community College, where he helped IWCC to a men's Region XI championship. During his time at Iowa Western, Flach's athletes enjoyed success in both indoor and outdoor track and field. He coached four national qualifiers, three region champions and seven school record holders during indoor, and coached five national qualifiers, six region champions and 10 school record holders during the outdoor season. Flach was responsible for recruiting, practices, scheduling, strength and conditioning and conducting clinics at IWCC.
Prior to his stint at Iowa Western, Flach coached at his alma mater Sam Houston State. While there, two of his pole vaulters qualified for the NCAA Division I Championships, one of whom earned All-America honors and a 12th-place finish at the USA Outdoor Championships. He also coached the 2007 Southland Conference Outdoor men's (17-06.50) and women's (13-05.00) pole vault champions, as well as SLC Field Performer of the Year. Flach coached the women's outdoor school record-holder, who broke the program's outdoor record with a vault of 13-11.75, and also saw the men's (17-02.50) and women's (13-01.50) indoor school pole vault records fall under his direction. The Bearkat women also captured the 2007 indoor Southland Conference Championship.
Flach holds a Bachelor of Science degree (2005) and Masters of Arts degree (2007) in Kinesiology from SHSU. During his collegiate career, Flach was a three-time Southland Conference pole vault champion, six-time all-Southland Conference recipient and set the school record in the pole vault (18-00.50) and the heptathlon (5,158) He was named to the 2006 U.S. Track Coaches Association National All-Academic Team, and Academic All-Southland Conference in 2003, 2005 and 2006.
