COLUMBIA, S.C. - Columbia International University (CIU) announced Friday that Assistant Athletic Director Stefan Vasiloff will serve as the Interim Director of Athletics after the unexpected passing of Darren Richie two weeks ago. Vasiloff will continue to oversee gameday operations and facilities along with expanded responsibilities.

Vasiloff came to CIU athletics as the Assistant Athletic Director for Gameday Operations and Facilities after previously serving at CIU as the special assistant to the president. Vasiloff is a jack-of-all-trades who, before coming to CIU, served in ministry for five years, owned a small business, and worked in operations in several different capacities.

Vasiloff is no stranger to college athletics; he spent ten years as an NCAA DII, DIII, NAIA, and JUCO men's basketball official in the Southeast United States and the Midwest. While refereeing in the college ranks, Vasiloff received over 150 assignments split between five different NCAA conferences and several different NAIA and JUCO conferences. Along with his time as a college official, Vasiloff had a 15-year career officiating high school basketball and baseball, during which he was selected to work two state semifinal games.

National Christian College Athletics Association (NCCAA) Executive Director Dan Wood spoke on Vasiloff's interim position, saying, "Stefan's passion for using athletics to serve the great commission is, to me, his number one qualification for this role ."

Wood continued, remarking, "Yes, CIU athletics is going through a tough time. But the momentum that Darren Richie was able to create both competitively and spiritually is still there. My prayer is that Stefan and the rest of CIU's athletic staff will carry that momentum even further."

Vasiloff had a stellar college basketball career in his own right. As a three-year letter-winner for Ohio Christian University from 2007-2010, Vasiloff is the fifth all-time leading scorer in Trailblazer's history, recording 1,773 career points. Vasiloff was a three-time Association of Christian College Athletics (ACCA) All-American while being named a National Christian College Athletics Association (NCCAA) Division II All-American his senior season.

Vasiloff holds a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Studies and a Master's Degree in Practical Theology from Ohio Christian. He currently resides in Lexington, S.C., with his wife, Katie, and their four daughters.