Chris Sauer

I’ve been a Division I coach for 8 years now. 

I began as a volunteer assistant at my alma mater Stony Brook University in 2015 right after I graduated with a degree in Biology with concentrations in Neurobiology & Physiology. 

In fall 2016, I got my first real job as the Head Cross Country Coach at Northwestern State University. My three years there I made a million mistakes, I guess it was my way of figuring out the 100 ways to not make a lightbulb, but I think they were the mistakes that all coaches eventually have to make, I just got to get them out of my system early.

We had some success and broke 3 school records, but never quite got the program to the level I wanted. Still, it was an incredible experience learning from those athletes and staff, and I think it is the best thing I could have experienced as a young coach.

In 2019, I moved back up to New York to be the Head Coach at Long Island University. There I was fortunate enough to take a team of 7 people (1 male, 6 females) that finished last in the NEC to being a team that finished 2nd and broke 28 school records and had 13 conference champions. We had the schools first two NCAA Regional Qualifiers in the distance events with a pair of steeplechasers in 2022 and 2023. This team was incredible to be part of, I constantly felt like I needed to learn more and expand my horizons to keep up with them and grow the team. 

This year (2023), I joined the staff at Iona University to be an Assistant Coach. The opportunity to join a national caliber program was exciting and definitely eye opening to see how a team at this level operates. In my first season with the Gaels, our men won their 34th MAAC title with the women finishing 2nd. We finished off the season with the men winning an NCAA Northeast Regional title and finishing 29th in the nation at the National Championship.