Cezar Terlea joined the UALR Cross Country and Track and Field staff as an assistant coach in August of 2011 after serving as head coach of the men’s cross country team at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Ark. 

At Henderson State, Terlea led the Reddies to a 15th-place finish at the NCAA South Region Championship in his first season in 2008, while in 2009 he coached the first Henderson State runner to qualify for the NCAA National Championship after placing fifth at the South Region.  During his tenure as men’s head coach at HSU, Terlea coached student-athletes that were ranked in the top ten overall for three-straight seasons.
Prior to being named head coach, Terlea served as assistant coach for the Henderson State women’s cross country team for the 2007 season.

Terlea’s first head coaching job was in Bucharest, Romania where he taught special classes for cross country and track and field.  While in Romania, he coached numerous national champions including the national men’s champion in the 50-meter dash and the national women’s champion in the 800-meter run.

Terlea was one of the top runners in Romania in the 400-meter dash and the 800-meter dash.  He was selected for the Junior Nationals Team of Romania in the mid 1980’s.
Terlea graduated from the National Academy of Sports and Physical Education in Bucharest, Romania in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in sports and physical education and in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy.  In 2008, he graduated with his master’s degree in sports administration from Henderson State University.  He is certified by USA Track and Field for Level 2.

Terlea is married to Teodora, an anesthesia physician at VA Hospital.  The couple has two daughters, Catalina and Roxana.