Aug. 21, 2003

Cape Girardeau - Tom Farden, assistant women's gymnastics coach at Southeast Missouri State University for the past four years, has been named interim head coach at Southeast.

"We went through two national searches and just couldn't identify a candidate who would be a good fit for our program," said Don Kaverman, director of athletics. "We decided to name Farden the interim coach for at least this season. We feel he is adequately prepared to lead our program. We are committed to the gymnastics program and believe Farden is an enthusiastic coach who has the support of the team and the community."

Farden, originally from Minneapolis, Minn., where he operated gymnastics clubs, is excited about the opportunity to lead the Southeast program. "This is a great opportunity for me and I look forward to having an outstanding season," he said. "We have a tremendous recruiting class coming in and we return the nucleus of last year's team. I think we have the athletes who are ready to take Southeast to the next level."

Kaverman said another national search would be conducted in early 2004. He also indicated a search was underway for a part-time assistant for Farden.

Farden and his wife, Christina, own and operate the Spectrum Training Center in Cape Girardeau.