Tim Sandquist of Rock Valley College has been hired as the new men's  basketball coach at Kirkwood Community College.

Sandquist replaces Bryan Petersen, who has left Kirkwood to become an  assistant coach at South Dakota State after leading the Eagles to two  NJCAA Division II national titles in four years.

Sandquist led Rock Valley to the championship game of the NJCAA  Division III playoffs this year, where the Golden Eagles lost to  Herkimer and finished with a 25-7 record in his only year at the school.

"I am incredibly humbled and honored to become the head coach at  Kirkwood," Sandquist said in a press release. "I'm grateful to  athletic director Doug Wagemester and the search committee for the  opportunity to join the Eagle family.

"Kirkwood is a special place with a great tradition of excellence and  I cannot wait to get started in Cedar Rapids."

Sandquist, an Omaha native, graduated from Nebraska-Omaha and spent  five years as an assistant coach there at the NCAA Division II level.

Sandquist has spent eight years as a junior college coach, including  one year as an assistant at Southwestern, four years as an assistant  at Dodge City, two years as an assistant at Northwest Kansas Tech and  one year as the head coach at Rock Valley in Rockford, Ill.

Petersen accepted his new job at South Dakota State in April, but  South Dakota State still has not announced his hiring.

Kirkwood received more than 100 applicants for the job, according to  Wagemester.