by Katy Knapp
Daily Lobo
The finalists fighting to replace Rudy Davalos as UNM's Director of Athletics were announced Friday.
The three finalists are Rick Hartzell, athletics director of Northern Iowa University; Paul Krebs, athletics director of Bowling Green State University; and Jim Schaus, athletics director at Wichita State University.
They were chosen out of an applicant pool of 39, said Breda Bova, chairwoman of the search committee.
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She said the finalists are ideal for the position, because they are all Division I athletics directors.
The applicants could not be reached Sunday, but Krebs released a statement through Bowling Green stating he and his family are happy with Bowling Green, and he is not actively looking for job opportunities.
"With this in mind, the University of New Mexico has approached me about their Director of Athletics position," he said in the statement. "For personal and professional reasons, I have agreed to meet with New Mexico to discuss this opportunity."
Bova has not read the statement, but said Krebs applied for the position like other applicants.
"They all surfaced to the top," she said.
Hartzell, Krebs and Schaus all tout impressive student athlete GPA and graduation rates, among other things, Bova said.
The UNM Board of Regents, media, students, faculty and staff will have chances to interview the finalists in early March, though no dates have been set.
The new director will be chosen by acting president David Harris, and the regents shortly after, Bova said, and will take over duties in June.
The finalists have been successful fundraisers for their respective universities.
Hartzell helped Northern Iowa University secure funding for a sports arena that will house basketball, volleyball and wrestling tournaments. The arena will generate money for the program by hosting other events, including concerts and special events.
Krebs holds the Bowling Green State University Athletics Department record for the largest donated gift - $3.5 million.
Schaus holds the record for largest donated gift to Wichita State University as a whole - $6 million.
Davalos has raised more than $6 million annually for the UNM Athletics' Department through the Lobo Club. Before he began, donations were one-third that amount.
Bova said there has been a lot of pressure to find a replacement for Davalos, who was the athletics director at UNM for 13 years. He announced his retirement in October. He will be staying on at the University until August to advise the replacement.
"He's done a lot of wonderful things at UNM," Bova said, referring to Davalos. "He's taken us to a place where a lot of people really wanted to apply for this position."
