Samuel Barber
MSMU Class of 2022
(7/2021) Brian Sagendorf is a well-rounded athlete and person. There are multiple adjectives that could be used to describe his historic track & field career. Despite the laundry list, there are a few that stand out. Determined, gritty, and sensational. Punching your ticket to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships is a true culmination of a multitude of different milestones. Tens of thousands of athletes across the three division’s dream, hope, and work towards achieving that one goal: competing on the national stage. However, a small population actually gets to achieve that lifelong dream. The sheer act of putting yourself on the national stage is a tall task to come by. What sets the NCAA’s 90 championships apart from the rest of the sports world’s championships is that they are not exclusive to a single sport.
Sagendorf arrived at the doorstep of the Catoctin Mountains in Emmitsburg, Maryland back in the 2015-16 season. A native of Elizabeth, New Jersey, Sagendorf’s journey at Mount St. Mary’s has not been an easy one by any means. Through a multitude of injuries and setbacks, the now star-studded alum truly left a mark on one of the most historic mid-major programs. What makes him stand out from nearly all of the other field event athletes that have stepped onto Morgan Track is the immediate impact that was made.
For most at the Division-I level, it takes a significant amount of time to mold yourself into the collegiate athlete you are destined to become. Hours, days, and sometimes seasons will go by without seeing any noticeable progress within your athletic journey. However, for the few that are lucky enough to crack the code early on, they are met with metaphorical jewels and riches within the athletic world. Brian did just that, as he qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary meet his freshman outdoor track season in the javelin. The East and West Preliminary is a step below the NCAA Championships.
As a sophomore, he once again punched his ticket to the East Preliminary Round with a breathtaking throw of 64.50 meters. After a seemingly successful first two years at the Mount, something appeared to change in August 2017. A world that was producing endless possibilities for the rising junior had come to a screeching halt. A season-ending, and a career-changing injury had sidelined the growing phenom. Even more tragically, Brian would have to receive the dreaded Tommy John surgery. Anyone familiar with the sports world knows that this particular surgery can lead an athlete towards two different paths: the first being that the athlete comes back better than ever while other athletes never compete again.
For Sagendorf, his body chose the former. However, injury has now been an entity that sticks with him in almost every aspect of his track-and-field career. According to Sagendorf, "the only game-changing obstacle I had to overcome was my body. Being a javelin thrower, your lower back is constantly hurting. I just wanted to stay healthy and make sure my body would hold up." Understanding the ins and outs of your body, as well as being able to comprehend what works and does not, is a vital component of athletic success.
Following the tide-turning surgery, rather dormant junior and senior seasons were expected. Without any exterior objection, that is exactly what happened.
Although the athlete is a crucial part in athletic success, there are people that are far more important. Coaches. Coaches draft up the practices and workouts and push the athlete to his or her bodily limits, among other things. Despite believing that every Mount St. Mary’s coach has played a role in his success, there is one coach that has been paramount in propelling Sagendorf beyond his glory days of his freshman and sophomore campaigns. That would be Coach Jim "Steveo" Stevenson. Stevenson was able to form an unbreakable athlete-coach relationship with Brian because he was a standout Mount St. Mary’s alum himself.
This relationship blossomed from an early stage, however, it became unbreakable during Brian’s graduate seasons. "Throughout the season(s), Steveo and I had the mindset of no expectations. Let’s get in and send it. The way I prepared for [NCAA’s] was no different from the first rounds in Florida. We worked out the same and had fun doing it. We created the Mount five within the infield."
Competing at the national level can present a plethora of challenges, especially for mid-major athletes that do not compete at mainstream meets or do not garner enough national recognition. On a yearly basis, the national meet is dominated by the Power Five ranks. For an athlete that emerges out of the Northeast Conference (NEC), regular-season competition rarely, if ever, prepares the athlete to compete against the best, mainly because the level of competition the mid-major athlete is facing in comparison to the Power Five athlete is incomparable. This rings true for Sagendorf. "The competition in the NEC is not a high-level Division-I conference. However, John Dinges of SFU showed up this year and pushed me to show him who the leader is of javelin in the NEC. During the first rounds, I knew I was going to make it to Oregon because I had been there two other times, I knew I belonged".
Within the track-and-field community there is one place that holds so much history and is often referred to as the Mecca of track-and-field: University of Oregon’s Hayward Field. Thousands, if not millions of athletes, dream that their career will eventually bring them to a tangible track-and-field heaven. However, few actually achieve that dream. According to Brian, competing at Hayward was a dream come true. Standing in the middle of an Olympic stadium gives you goosebumps. You look around and see all the Olympian’s pictured throughout the stadium."
Some of the best athletes have left a legacy within their respective sports, whether it be at the collegiate or professional level. What defines a legacy? Is it the amount of titles won? Or is it the number of times their names are etched into the record books? Whatever the qualification is, Brian Sagendorf, who is the school record holder in the javelin, firmly believes that he has left a legacy at the Mount. "I know I left my legacy. That school record is going to stand for a bit. But records are meant to be broken. The legacy I left behind is you do not have to be the tallest or strongest athlete, you have to put in the work and have the biggest heart while leaving it all out there."
Looking towards the future is always an exciting aspect of retiring from the collegiate ranks. For Sagendorf, it is all about going by the seam of his pants. "As of right now, I have nothing planned, but I think I am going to an open meet in mid-July. The goal is to hopefully coach and continue throwing," exclaimed Brian.
As for the NCAA Championships, Sagendorf finished 24th overall with a mark of 54.23 meters. His 24th place showing was enough to earn him Honorable Mention All-American honors.
At the end of the day, realizing that you have moved mountains is when you have truly left your mark on a program.
Read past articles related to Mount sports
