MINOT, N.D. – Minot State's Kevin Harmon, Vice President for Student Affairs and Intercollegiate Athletics, announced today that the Beaver track and field program and cross-country teams will be unified under the leadership of a single head coach.

Current Minot State head track and field coach Erik Stevens will also take on the responsibility of head coach for the Beaver cross-country teams, which open the fall 2026 season racing at the Dragon Twilight on Friday, September 4, hosted by Minnesota State Moorhead.

"Erik Steven possesses an expertise across all track-and-field disciplines, which, combined with his vision for building a championship culture, gives us great confidence in the future of our track and field and cross-country programs," Harmon said. "We look forward to seeing our student-athletes continue to thrive under his leadership."

Coach Stevens joined the Minot State Athletic Department team as head track and field coach this past January after 4 seasons as the head cross-country coach and 3 1/2 seasons as an assistant track and field coach at NCAA Division I North Texas.

During his time at North Texas, Coach Stevens guided two cross-country runners to the NCAA National Championship, and the women's cross-country team finished 5^th in the American Athletic Conference in 2024, the team's best finish since 2017.

Prior to his time with the Mean Green, he spent one season as head cross-country coach and the assistant track and field coach for distance runners at NCAA Division I Texas State, and also served as a volunteer assistant coach at NCAA Division I Florida State for one year, spent two years as a volunteer assistant coach at NCAA Division I Georgia, and two years as a volunteer 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.

The Beavers return to a single head coach for cross country and track and field after 6 years with a separate head cross-country coach, who also served as an assistant track and field coach for distance runners.