Men's Track and Field | 6/9/2017 2:08:00 PM
Mankato, Minn. --- Kevin Buisman, Director of Athletics, has announced that four candidates have been selected as finalists in Minnesota State's search for a new track & field head coach.
The four finalists, who will visit Mankato as part of the selection process next week, are listed below.
"We're extremely excited with where we are in the search process to determine who will lead our track and field programs," said Buisman. "We had a deep pool of candidates to choose from and I feel very good about these finalists. We are excited about the opportunity to have them visit our campus, so that we can further assess their ability to lead our program, and so they can learn more about Minnesota State track & field, the University and our community."
Dana Schwarting, Head Track & Field Coach, Lewis University
Has served as the head coach of the men's and women's track and field programs at Lewis (Ill.) since 2005...Served as assistant coach for the Flyers from 2002-04 following two years as the head coach men's and women's track and field coach at Morningside (2000-02)...Has had 10 national individual champions and four national athletes of the year in 17 years as the head coach at Lewis...Seven-time Great Lakes Valley Conference Coach of the Year and has guided Flyers to 11 conference championships...Owns undergraduate and master's degrees from the University of South Dakota.
Kevin Sanger, Assistant Football coach & assistant Track & Field Coach, Minnesota State
Has served as an assistant coach with the Maverick men's and women's track and field programs and football program since 2011...Recruited and coached Minnesota State throwers (shot put, weight and discus) and was named the 2013 Indoor and Outdoor USTFCCCA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year...Helped guide the Mavericks to 10 men's conference championships and two women's conference championships...Coached two-time NCAA Division II shot put champion Chris Reed...Served as head coach of the men's track and field program (1996-2008) and women's track and field program (1999-2008) at Central College (Iowa)...Undergraduate degree from Central (Iowa), master's and doctorate degrees from Iowa State.
Paul Thornton, Associate Head Men's Track & Field Coach, University of Minnesota
Has been a member of the University of Minnesota men's track and field coaching staff since 2008...Has served as the primary coach of the Golden Gopher men's sprinters, hurdlers, relays, jumpers and combined event student-athletes...Served as the head men's and women's track and field coach at Washington University (Mo.) from 2003-08 and the head men's and women's track and field coach at St. Mary's (Minn.) from 2000-03...Associate men's and women's track and field and cross country coach at Illinois State from 1993-2000...Undergraduate degree from St. Olaf, master's degree from Illinois State.
Michael Turgeon, Associate Head Women's Track & Field Coach, Winona State
Has been a member of the coaching staff with the women's track and field program at Winona State since 2004...Has coached 34 NCAA Division II All-Americans and five DII national champions in the throwing events...Four-time USTFCCCA DII Central Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year...Has served as Associate Athletic Director: Student Success Center since 2015 after serving three years as the school's Associate AD: Student-Athlete Services and Compliance and three years as Director of Student-Athlete Services...Undergraduate and master's degrees from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse.
Buisman said that his goal is to have a coach in place by early July.
Contact: Paul Allan, Associate Director of Athletics
paul.allan@mnsu.edu
(507) 389-2625 (office)
(507) 381-7503 (cell)
- 30 -
