CSUN'S AD SEARCH DOWN TO THREE SCHOOL HOPES TO MAKE DECISION IN AUGUST.

Byline: JILL PAINTER Staff Writer

Cal State Northridge is expected to announce today that Janet Lucas, Bruce Van De Velde and William Weidner are the finalists for the Matadors' athletic director job, according to a source.

Lucas has been interim athletic director at CSUN for the past year. She replaced Dick Dull, who was reassigned to an athletic fundraising position and whose contract was not renewed. Lucas is scheduled to interview July 25.

Van De Velde, who currently is working in athletics consulting, has extensive experience in the Big 12 Conference.

He was the athletic director at Iowa State from 2000-2005. He also has worked at Kansas State, Missouri and Oklahoma. Van De Velde, who served as Utah State's athletic director from 1998-99, is scheduled to interview July 28.

Weidner is the deputy athletic director at the University of Central Florida, a position he has held since 2005.

He also was the athletic director at Weber State from 2004-05 and the University of Texas-Pan American from 1998-2004. Weidner is scheduled to interview July 19.

Lucas was the senior associate athletic director and senior women's administrator under Dull for one year.

She spent the previous 15 seasons at James Madison University in Virginia, where she served in many roles. She also worked at the University of Maine, where she was the senior women's administartor, for eight years.

CSUN hopes to name an athletic director by the end of August.

In May, CSUN re-opened its athletic director search after nearly a year and hired the search firm Carr Sports Associates.

All candidates are expected to interview on campus. Each candidate will participate in an open forum, which community members can attend.

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3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) LUCAS

(2 -- color) VAN DE VELDE

(3 -- color) WEIDNER