Mankato, Minn. --- Head coach Mike Turgeon has announced that Brian Sebera and Ben Held have selected as assistant coaches with the Minnesota State track & field programs.

Additionally, Held has been named head coach of the Maverick men's cross country program.

Serbera, who will coach the Maverick jumpers and multi-event athletes, joins Minnesota State after spending the past two years with the track & field programs at the University of Sioux Falls. While with the Cougars, Sebera coached 15 national meet qualifiers, had 39 All-NSIC performers and 12 conference champions.  Under his tutelage, USF individuals established school records in the men's and women's 60m, men's long jump and women's 4x100m and he was a member of a coaching staff that produced a third-place finish at the 2018 NSIC indoor men's track & field meet (best finish in USF history) and sixth-place finish at the 2018 NSIC outdoor women's tack & field meet (best finish in USF history).

Sebera also served as interim head coach at St. Cloud State and was on the SCSU Track & Field staff for seven years. Before joining the USF staff, he was a member of the College of St. Benedict (Minn.) Track & Field and Cross Country coaching staff, where he served as recruiting coordinator in addition to his coaching duties.

Sebera was a member of the track & field teams at St. Cloud State where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Sport Management and a Master's of Science degree in Sport Administration while serving as a graduate assistant for the SCSU Track & Field program. In 2016, he earned his Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Administration, Student Affairs.

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime. I'm looking forward to sharing my passion for track and field with the rest of the coaching staff and to put Coach Turgeon's vision of winning into action," said Sebera. "Working as a coach is even more than the day to day training. I strive to build relationships and a positive team culture. I will work to mentor and support students in both their academic goals and athletic goals. From afar, I've always admired Coach Turgeon's work. I am looking forward to continuing the long lasting tradition of success at Minnesota State Track and Field program.  My family and I are very excited to immerse ourselves in the Maverick culture and all that Mankato has to offer."

"I am very excited for Coach Sebera, his wife, Brandy and his four children to join the Maverick family," said Turgeon. "Coach Sebera's passion for track and field, in addition to his record as an outstanding recruiter who can develop powerful athletes, demonstrates that he is the best possible fit for our team. Over the past eight seasons, Coach Sebera was a highly successful coach at both St. Cloud State and University of Sioux Falls.  He shares a common goal in developing a national caliber track and field program.  I am very excited to get to work with Coach Sebera in continued development to create a track and field dynasty at Minnesota State."

Held is a 2012 St. Cloud State grad who will serve as head coach of the Minnesota State men's cross country program and work with the Maverick distance runners. Prior to assisting with the Mavericks in 2018-19, Held was an assistant coach for two years at Notre Dame College in Cleveland, Ohio. He also spent 2013-16 as a graduate assistant at Black Hills State, where he earned a master's degree while coaching an NCAA DII national champion in the steeplechase and was a member of a staff that developed six All-Americans, 30 First Team All-RMAC performers and had 14 individuals establish school records.

"First and foremost, I would like thank Mike Turgeon and the search committee for showing confidence in my abilities and giving me the opportunity to help lead Maverick Cross Country and Track & Field team into a new era," said Held. "I am very excited to be able to continue coaching and working with the Maverick family. This job is a terrific opportunity and I look forward to the challenge of helping further build this program. I believe that my experiences over the past nine years will help add to the past success to the men's and women's programs have had."

"Over the past year, I have been very impressed with Coach Held's strong commitment to making our cross country and track and field program better," said Turgeon.  "Our goal was to hire a coach who was a relentless recruiter and passionate about cross country/ track and field.  Coach Held is an outstanding coach who brings great enthusiasm to our team."