MINOT, N.D. – The Minot State Athletic Department is in the final stages of hiring a new leader for the Beaver track and field programs and will host two head coaching candidates next week.

The Beavers welcome Ryan Hershberger to campus on Wednesday, December 3, to meet members of the Minot State campus and community, and welcome Erik Stevens to campus on Friday, December 5, to meet members of the Minot State campus and community.

The community is invited to meet both head coaching candidates at an open forum scheduled in Hartnett Hall's Collaborative Space, located on the 2^nd floor facing the MSU Dome. Coach Hershberger will meet the public at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3, and Coach Stevens at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5.

A 2014 graduate of Kansas State with degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science, who will earn his Master's in Kinesiology with an emphasis in coaching from Adams State (Colo.) this May, Coach Hershberger currently is the strength and conditioning coach for Serco Inc. in Fort Riley, Kansas, where he coordinates physical training programs for more than 400 soldiers.

Hershberger also brings six seasons of NCAA Division I coaching experience with him as he previously spent one season as an assistant coach for the throwers at NCAA Division I Purdue (Ind.), three seasons as an assistant coach for NCAA Division I Army (N.Y.) where he coached throwers and managed the track and field strength facilities, and two seasons as an assistant coach for throwers at NCAA Division I UNC Charlotte.

Coach Hershberger holds a USATF Level 3 coaching certification for throws, a USATF Level 2 coaching certification for jumps, and is an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning coach.

Coach Stevens is currently in his fourth season as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I North Texas where he leads the distance runners for the track and field team, and is head coach for the cross-country program.

Prior to joining the Mean Green's staff in the fall of 2022, he served as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I Florida State for one year, spent two years as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I Georgia, and two years as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I UCLA.

A 2006 graduate of Arizona with a degree in History Education and a minor in kinesiology and coaching, Coach Stevens holds USATF Level 1 & 2 certifications and is a USTFCCCA Endurance Specialist.

Minot State's new track and field coach will replace current Beavers head coach Jordan Aus, who currently is splitting duties as head coach and as Associate Director of Athletics for Revenue and Ticketing, a role he took over on November 1.