Randy Flach enters his fourth season with the South Alabama track and field program in 2011 to coach men's and women's track and field athletes in the pole vault, high jump, long jump, triple jump, heptathlon, decathlon and pentathlon.
In his time with the Jags, Flach has developed 2nd Team All-American performer and 2010 and 2011 SBC Outdoor Heptathlon champion Lindsay Schwartz, who, this past year, broke the conference heptathlon record and competed in the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa and also seven all-conference performers. Alongside Schwartz in the 2011 SBC Outdoor heptathlon championship, were Noelle Jones, who finished third, and Leah Hixon, who finished fifth to give the Jags three top-five finishers in the event. In his first season at USA, Flach coached regional qualifiers Nicole Knox (high jump, 2009) and Emily Sawyer (pole vault, 2009) as well as the women's indoor triple jump record holder, Louise Faye (12.00m/39-04.50). In 2011, Schwartz, Jones, William Henley and Connor Smith were awarded All-SBC honors.
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.
