Reardon said such meetings will continue throughout the spring.

Few coaches or Athletic Department adminisrators have grumbled about their exclusion from the search committee, and some have even given the committee high marks.

"[The search committee] includes people who have had long histories with both the University and the department," says women's soccer Coach Tim Wheaton.

"When they're hiring a person who's going to be your boss, you're concerned with who they are going to be. I feel confident that the search will take coaches' interest into account and that they'll do a good job," he added.

Reardon said the committee might be forced to work beyond the original time schedule he had hoped to meet. The application deadline is March 5.

"I'd love for [the search] to take only four months, but I'm not sure that's possible," Reardon said. "It's more time-intensive than I originally thought."

Reardon even hinted that Cleary's targeted departure date at the end of June may have to be postponed until the next athletic director has been selected.