The Minot State Athletics Department has been undergoing a thorough search for a new Director of Athletics. Formerly held by Andy Carter since 2016, the position has been vacant since April 29 and the search has been in progress since then.

This week, MSU Athletics announced that their list has grown smaller, as the university has narrowed it down to four finalists for the job. The finalists are Brock Weppler, Kevin Forde, Dan Artamenko, and Kip Meyer.

For those that have followed MSU athletics closely, Brock Weppler is a familiar name. Weppler has served as the Assistant Director of Athletics for Development at MSU since May of 2016. Before that, Weppler was part of the Beavers baseball program for nine seasons serving in various roles of assistant coach and head coach.

The Beavers baseball program had a successful run during his reign as the head coach. In his second season, he guided the team to a third-place finish in the Dakota Athletic Conference. Additionally, there were two seasons where the Beavers placed in the top 50 in stolen bases, peaking at third overall in 2009. In 2015, he helped the Beavers power their way to No. 21 in the nation in home runs.

Kevin Forde brings experience from serving as the interim Director of Athletics at Saint Xavier University in Chicago, Ill. and serving as the Director of Athletics at Wheeling Jesuit in Wheeling, W.Va.

It was a successful two-year run for Forde at Wheeling Jesuit. During his tenure, the highlight was the volleyball team winning a national championship, however, Wheeling Jesuit was competitive in many sports under Forde’s tutelage. Wheeling Jesuit brought home eight conference championships and seven conference tournament championship throughout his time there.

Dan Artamenko brings experience and North Dakota ties, serving currently as the Director of Athletics at Seward Community College in Liberal, Kan. and previously spent five years as the Director of Athletics at Williston State College.

At Williston State, Artamenko helped guide five teams to top 20 rankings in the National Junior College Athletic Association polls, four national tournament appearances, and helped develop the softball facilities. He has held his current position at Seward Community College for three years.

The fourth and final candidate is Kip Meyer, who currently serves as the executive vice president of Schutt Sports in Plainfield, Ind. Schutt Sports is one of the leading protective equipment manufacturers with a focus on football, baseball and softball. They are very active on the football side, with their helmets and faceguards being commonly worn among NFL players.

Meyer also spent time working for Adidas, where he held a variety of positions including Director of Sports Marketing and Director of Licensing and New Business Development.

All four of the finalists will be appearing on campus and will be available to meet the public in an open forum setting as part of their interview process. The open forums will be held at the Conference Center located in the Student Center at MSU.

Brock Weppler will be available on June 23, Kevin Forde will be available on June 24, Dan Artamenko will be available on June 27, and Kip Meyer will be available on June 29. Each open forum will take place at 2 p.m. on their designated days.