Erik Stevens

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 5th 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.