Dakota Brekhus

The Beaver golf programs are moving forward under the direction of a familiar face.

Minot State’s Vice President for Student Affairs and Intercollegiate Athletics, Kevin Harmon, announced this week that Dakota Brekhus has been named the new head men’s and women’s golf coach and will begin his duties starting July 15.

“Dakota will be a great addition to our athletic department, bringing a deep understanding of our sense of place as both a proud Minot State graduate and a United States Army veteran,” Harmon said of Brekhus, who joined the Beaver golf program as an assistant coach during the winter of the 2023-24 season. “His admirable work coaching wounded warriors reflects his commitment to service and mentorship, and we are confident he will be a tremendous fit for our student-athletes and the greater Minot community.”

Brekhus said: “I’m excited for the opportunity to lead the Beaver golf program. I’ve been a part of the program as the assistant coach for the past year and a half, so I’m looking forward to building on our momentum from last year.”

Last season, the Beaver women finished 9th at the NSIC Championship and the Minot State men were 7th led by Jace Carlisle, who earned All-Tournament honors finishing 4th.

The Beavers were coached by Brekhus and former head coach Eli Mihalick, who moved into a full-time role as Minot State’s Coordinator of Athletics this summer.

“What drew me to the position is the players and the competition in an NCAA D2 program,” Brekhus added. “We really have some outstanding talent on the team.”

A 2018 graduate from Minot State with a bachelor’s degree in General Studies, Brrkhus played varsity golf for four years in high school in Arizona before attending the Cochise College flight program.

He moved to Minot in the summer of 2010 and joined the U.S. Army in 2011 before being discharged because of an injury he suffered during deployment in Afghanistan. Dakota’s love for golf grew during his time in the Army and it sparked his passion to teach golf to youth and the veteran communities.

Since his honorable discharge in January of 2014, Coach Brekhus has worked with Minot junior golf for 3 years and hosted a “Tee It Up For the Troops” event at the Minot Country Club. He also has coached several veterans with service-related injuries to help them regain their golf swing; one of whom was selected for Team United States and played in the Simpson Cup.

Most recently, he served as coach for the USA Patriots Amputee Athletics for the past year, putting on golf camps for U.S. Armed Forces amputee veterans golf team, and children with amputations.

Away from the golf course, Brekhus enjoys flying airplanes and cooking. He has earned his private pilot license, instrument, high-performance, and complex airplane ratings at Minot Aero Center, and is currently working toward his commercial pilot license.

Looking ahead to his leadership of the Minot State golf programs, Brekhus said: “Some of my goals for the program are to build a winning program, increase fund-raising, build meaningful relationships with organizations in the community, research historical stats and look to nominate some deserving alumni to the athletic hall-of-fame, and work to start a home tournament in Minot.”

Coach Brekhus lives in Minot with his wife, Courtenay. They have 3 daughters: Avery, Stella, and Parker, and two dogs, Ruger and Hero.