WILLMAR -- Ridgewater College softball coach Todd Thorstad has been named athletic director at Ridgewater College.
Thorstad has served as part-time athletic coordinator at the community college with campuses in Willmar and Hutchinson since 2006.
"The position is full-time and will include some teaching (in physical education)," said Sam Bowen, director of communications. Thorstad will continue to coach the softball team.
"We're really excited to be able to continue with the kind of leadership and vision Todd has delivered," commented Bowen. "We appreciate his leadership in moving things forward."
Thorstad has been associated with the college since 1995 when he joined John Vraa's football staff. He became women's softball coach in 2001 and assumed some teaching duties at the time.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I'm excited," said Thorstad. "It's a dream to get this job and be around all my family and friends. It's an ideal and perfect situation and I'm pretty relieved."
He's a second-generation athletic director. His father, Marshall, is a retired athletic director from Danube.
Thorstad's did his undergraduate work at St. John's University. He has dual master's degrees from St. Cloud State in curriculum instruction and sports management. He married Michelle Buboltz of Spicer on June 14.
Thorstad was a full-time substitute and freshman football coach from 1994-95 at Lac qui Parle Valley. He was at Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg the next four years where he taught social studies and coached girls basketball. He was athletic director for two years.
Except for one fall, Thorstad coached Warrior football under Vraa until 2005. Since there was no full-time spot available to him at Ridgewater, he also worked for several years in the St. Cloud area.
Thorstad succeeds Vraa, Ridgewater's most recent full-time coach/athletic director. Vraa resigned in 2006 to take a job at New London-Spicer as activities/community education director.
"I look forward to building and adding to the programs and continuing the successes that the programs have enjoyed," said Thorstad by telephone.
His softball teams have qualified for the last four national tournaments.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ridgewater offers opportunities in intercollegiate athletics in volleyball, football, men's soccer, men's and women's basketball, wrestling, softball and baseball.
The athletic program, established in 1962-63 with men's basketball, is annually among the most successful in the renamed Minnesota College Athletic Conference. Baseball, softball and volleyball teams, plus nine individual wrestlers, qualified for national tournaments the past year.
