Colorado State University Athletics

Art Siemers

Siemers Set to Leave Program Better Than When He Arrived

4/20/2022 12:00:00 PM | Track & Field

Distance coach helped make Rams a conference power

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Brian Bedard took a chance with the phone call he made back in 2012.
 
The chance wasn't on the coach he wanted to hire, but rather, would he be interested in the position. At the time, Art Siemers wasn't looking for work after he built up the track and field program at the Colorado School of Mines into a perennial national contender.
 
Bedard knew what he was getting – "the best distance coach in the region" --if only he could convince him to say yes.
 
The fact Siemers accepted the job to lead the Colorado State cross country program and the distance runners in track helped the Rams bring home seven indoor and six outdoor championships since he arrived in 2012, as well as a men's cross country title. He has guided more than 20 student-athletes to All-American honors and Mountain West titles, as well as more than 80 scorers at the Mountain West championships.
 
His cross country teams have been consistently ranked and his men's teams of 2017 and 2018 both placed in the top 10, the only time a program at Colorado State has finished that high in the national rankings in successive seasons.
 
That's exactly what Bedard expected to get in Siemers.
 
"I did. Because he was doing it at the School of Mines," Bedard said. "He was doing a lot with a little there, and I thought if we got him in our situation at Division I with more resources, it was my guess he'd do the same kind of things here.
 
"I think he's an expert at writing training and he's great at developing athletes. That's a hallmark of what we do here at CSU in our track program; we develop people. He's taking walk-ons and small-scholarship kids, and if they believe in his program and buy in, they're going to be successful, and we see it over and over. I don't think there's anybody better out there as far as developing talent."
 
But this weekend's Jack Christiansen Invitational will be Siemers' last home meet at Colorado State, as his wife, Erica, has accepted a job at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga to be the associate vice chancellor of the foundation there.
 
"She came here with me 10 years when I wanted to go for my dream job, and now it's my turn to reciprocate," Siemers said.
 
Siemers departure has been known to the program for a while, and since then, he's tried to brush aside the myriad of "last's" he's set to encounter, the Christiansen being among them. It hit him a bit the past weekend when he was with his distance crew at Mt. SAC track meet last weekend, but he doesn't have the time presently to be sentimental with the prospect of more titles to be won at the Mountain West Championships starting May 11.
 
For now, it's better to stay focused on what's made him a successful mentor for the student-athletes he's still working with. What the program will be losing is a masterful architect.
 
"Art represents just somebody who instilled a culture of excellence, of accountability and challenging people to recognize in themselves how good they wanted to be and how good they could be," said Eric Hamer, an indoor and outdoor All-American for CSU. "I think what I would say about Art personally is what made it work on the teams and runners who did really well and what the difference was he was willing to go the long distance with you in terms of your career and do it with him."
 
Hamer knows a coach who knew when words would mean little, but when the time came to talk, what he said was filled with merit. He might have been the man in charge of the scholarship dollars, but none of it mattered when it came time to set a workout plan.
 
Not every athlete will carry the same potential or drive, but what they did have, Siemers did his best to reach.  More so, he wanted them to love the sport and look forward to the process. It was important to him, because by the end of his college career, the same passion was not to be found.
 
"I feel you have to really enjoy going to practice on a daily basis to be successful, because it balances your whole life. That's my philosophy," he said. "I feel you can be really good and give the athletes more freedom and try to be really open to communication to what they're training looks like. We send their workouts a week in advance, and we work with them individually based on their milage requirements to give them a good program. I feel that's the best way to have success, so that's what I've stuck with."
 
Winning is great, and he's proud of all the program has achieved, but the lightbulb moments carry more weight with him. In the past few years, he's accepted a wave of transfers who had great success as preps but went on to bigger schools and struggled. The majority of them have come to the program, regained their love for the sport and have gone on to break school records at CSU and win titles.
 
But the team wasn't just about the student-athletes, it was the staff he worked with at Colorado State. There are too many meets and practices to count, but among his favorite moments are the staff workouts in the weight room on Mondays and Wednesdays, where they could joke around and be themselves.
 
But the bottom like in college athletics is results, and Siemers did his part in delivering them. He was a sounding board for Bedard, a voice of reason who helped him shape the program. He was also someone he could leave alone, knowing Siemers didn't require anyone looking over his shoulder.
 
"We're good friends, and I wish him nothing but success. He's definitely a key piece of why we've had the success we've had over the past 10 years," Bedard said. "A lot of that was because of the addition of Art Siemers."
 
Siemers is not sure what is next for him, and the comfort comes in knowing he doesn't have to rush to find something. It will most certainly involve running in some form, but where, when and to what degree isn't a burden on his mind.
 
What would be is if he felt he were leaving Colorado State somewhat incomplete. When you go someplace, you want to make a difference.
 
"Obviously we're competitive and we want to do more, but I feel like I've gotten the program to a higher level than before I came, and I felt like I did the same thing at Mines," he said. "I feel like I'm leaving the program in a really good place for the next person. I think the teams will only get better when I'm gone. That's the way I like it.
 
"To be part of so many championships the past 10 years and see where we've come, it's been fun to be part of the journey with Coach Bedard and our great staff here. It's fun to win."
 

Players Mentioned

Distance
/ Track & Field
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