San Diego State officials plan to interview potential interim athletic director candidates next week and could have an interim AD in place by the end of the week

However, university media relations manager Jason Foster emphasized that the process might stretch out longer if university president Stephen Weber hasn't identified the correct candidate.

"We're still working on the time frame of trying to have an interim AD named in the two-week window that President Weber outlined previously," Foster said. "However, it could take longer than that to make sure we have the right person in the interim AD position. We will take that time if it is necessary."

School officials have been tight with details related to the interim AD search. Friday's briefing was the first at-length disclosure by university officials since Rick Bay was forced to resign as athletic director on May 22 after the results of a California State University Chancellor's Office audit outlined irregularities in the athletic department.

At this point, the university is not commenting on specific candidates or releasing the number of candidates officials plan to interview.

"We have enough to get the process well under way," Foster said. "We're still considering other candidates as we become aware of them. We haven't closed the book on potential candidates yet but we are certainly moving forward with candidates that we are aware of."

In other developments, SDSU officials have upheld the decision not to renew the contract of women's crew coach Scott Steckel, have requested a four-month extension from the CSU Chancellor's Office in regards to Friday's deadline to have certain systems in place and are discussing whether to continue with the appeal to the NCAA that Bay started in hopes of removing the word "major" from being associated with the violations that resulted in a two-year probation placed on the football program in February.

The day prior to Bay's resignation, Steckel, 32, was informed that his contract wouldn't be renewed when it expires on June 30. Sally Roush, the university's vice president for business and financial affairs, met with Steckel and reviewed his case and deemed that the decision was appropriate.

School officials declined to elaborate on the situation, citing privacy issues. Steckel didn't return a phone call Friday.

Jennifer Zebroski, 24, was named interim crew coach. The university is expected to conduct a search for a new crew coach.

Foster said the university asked the CSU system on Thursday to extend the May 30 deadlines with the expectation that the extension would be granted.

"Some of the deadlines for the CSU audit stated that we'd have some systems in place by (Friday) ---- a couple of initial tracking systems, an inventory system, things of that nature," Foster said. "We've asked the CSU for an extension to push those deadlines back to Sept. 30 because of the changes in the personnel of the athletic department has been our primary focus."

The terming of NCAA violations as "major" irritated Bay and he pledged to fight the label that he said placed an unfair stigma on the program. Bay also was hopeful of getting the two-year probation reduced to one year.

The Mountain West Conference is holding its three-day Board of Directors meetings in Carlsbad, beginning Sunday. SDSU officials have yet to determine who will fill in for Bay at Sunday's athletic director's sessions.