Texas merges men's, women's track programs

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- The University of Texas has promoted Mario Sategna (suh-TAYN'-yuh) to head coach of the Longhorns' newly combined men's and women's track and field programs.

The announcement came in a university statement Thursday. Sategna had been associate head coach of the men's team. He succeeds retiring men's coach Bubba Thornton and Bev Kearney, who resigned as women's coach in January after the revelation of an improper relationship with one of her athletes in 2002.

In a federal complaint filed in March, Kearney also described years of friction between herself and Thornton.

Sategna has been on the UT track coaching staff since 2003.