Athletic Director Mark Alnutt Signs Contract Extension
5/27/2021 11:44:00 AM | General
BUFFALO, NY – University at Buffalo Athletic Director Mark Alnutt has signed a contract extension that will keep him at UB through May 2026. In addition, Alnutt's title has been elevated to Vice President and Director of Athletics.
"I'm extremely honored and humbled to continue to serve UB as Vice President and Director of Athletics." Alnutt said. "I would first like to thank President Satish K. Tripathi for his support of athletics. In the three years since my arrival, our division continues to produce champions both on and off the field. I appreciate having the opportunity to work with a great team of people in Athletics and across campus who play a key role in realizing the ongoing success of UB Athletics. I look forward to continuing to build our distinctive brand nationally."
Since Alnutt's hiring on March 18, 2018, UB Athletics has experienced tremendous success in competition as well as in the classroom. In addition, through successful fundraising efforts, many of UB's athletic facilities have been transformed.
"Under Mark's leadership, UB Athletics has had even more success in the Mid-American Conference with many of our programs ranked nationally," said UB President Satish K. Tripathi. "As our student-athletes have competed successfully on the national stage, they have also brought that excellence to their collective academic pursuits. Mark has proven to be a tremendous leader and integral part of our UB community beyond the Division of Athletics, and our university has very much benefited from his service and engagement with numerous campus-wide initiatives. I look forward to working with Mark for many years to come."
In April, the women's swimming and diving team won its first Mid-American Conference championship. It was the fourth MAC title by a UB team under Alnutt's leadership.
In Alnutt's time at Buffalo, the football and men's and women's basketball teams all entered the national rankings for the first time in school history. The football team won the 2019 Bahamas Bowl and the 2020 Camellia Bowl — the Bulls' first bowl wins in program history. The men's basketball team won the conference title in 2019 and defeated Arizona State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The women's basketball team followed up a Sweet 16 appearance in 2018 with a MAC Championship and first-round NCAA Tournament victory in 2019.
Alnutt has always placed an emphasis on academics, and even with the challenges of virtual learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UB student-athletes posted record results in the classroom. In the spring of 2021, the Bulls had a 3.301 collective grade point average, the highest in department history. In fact, over the last three semesters, the Bulls have posted record GPAs. Their 3.261 in the spring of 2020 is second all time and their 3.197 in the fall of 2020 is third all time.
The university has earned the MAC Diversity & Inclusion Institution Award each year Alnutt has been at Buffalo. Also under Alnutt's leadership, UB continues to offer a broad-based program to be inclusive of all the issues that face its student-athletes, athletics staff, campus and the greater Western New York community. In response to the racial injustices that plagued the nation in 2020, Alnutt formed the Stronger Together Task Force. The group is devoted to creating synergies amongst the department in a collaborative effort with UB student-athletes and staff. In addition, he was appointed to the President's Advisory Council on Race this past year and has served a key role in developing faculty and staff recruitment, as well as hiring and retention recommendations.
Alnutt has made four head coaching hires in his time at Buffalo, including men's basketball head coach Jim Whitesell in 2019. The Bulls won 20 games in Whitesell's first season and followed that up with a trip to the NIT in 2021. Most recently, Alnutt hired Maurice Linguist as UB's head football coach. Alnutt also hired softball head coach Mike Ruechel and volleyball head coach Scott Smith.
"I'm extremely honored and humbled to continue to serve UB as Vice President and Director of Athletics." Alnutt said. "I would first like to thank President Satish K. Tripathi for his support of athletics. In the three years since my arrival, our division continues to produce champions both on and off the field. I appreciate having the opportunity to work with a great team of people in Athletics and across campus who play a key role in realizing the ongoing success of UB Athletics. I look forward to continuing to build our distinctive brand nationally."
Since Alnutt's hiring on March 18, 2018, UB Athletics has experienced tremendous success in competition as well as in the classroom. In addition, through successful fundraising efforts, many of UB's athletic facilities have been transformed.
"Under Mark's leadership, UB Athletics has had even more success in the Mid-American Conference with many of our programs ranked nationally," said UB President Satish K. Tripathi. "As our student-athletes have competed successfully on the national stage, they have also brought that excellence to their collective academic pursuits. Mark has proven to be a tremendous leader and integral part of our UB community beyond the Division of Athletics, and our university has very much benefited from his service and engagement with numerous campus-wide initiatives. I look forward to working with Mark for many years to come."
In April, the women's swimming and diving team won its first Mid-American Conference championship. It was the fourth MAC title by a UB team under Alnutt's leadership.
In Alnutt's time at Buffalo, the football and men's and women's basketball teams all entered the national rankings for the first time in school history. The football team won the 2019 Bahamas Bowl and the 2020 Camellia Bowl — the Bulls' first bowl wins in program history. The men's basketball team won the conference title in 2019 and defeated Arizona State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The women's basketball team followed up a Sweet 16 appearance in 2018 with a MAC Championship and first-round NCAA Tournament victory in 2019.
Alnutt has always placed an emphasis on academics, and even with the challenges of virtual learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UB student-athletes posted record results in the classroom. In the spring of 2021, the Bulls had a 3.301 collective grade point average, the highest in department history. In fact, over the last three semesters, the Bulls have posted record GPAs. Their 3.261 in the spring of 2020 is second all time and their 3.197 in the fall of 2020 is third all time.
The university has earned the MAC Diversity & Inclusion Institution Award each year Alnutt has been at Buffalo. Also under Alnutt's leadership, UB continues to offer a broad-based program to be inclusive of all the issues that face its student-athletes, athletics staff, campus and the greater Western New York community. In response to the racial injustices that plagued the nation in 2020, Alnutt formed the Stronger Together Task Force. The group is devoted to creating synergies amongst the department in a collaborative effort with UB student-athletes and staff. In addition, he was appointed to the President's Advisory Council on Race this past year and has served a key role in developing faculty and staff recruitment, as well as hiring and retention recommendations.
Alnutt has made four head coaching hires in his time at Buffalo, including men's basketball head coach Jim Whitesell in 2019. The Bulls won 20 games in Whitesell's first season and followed that up with a trip to the NIT in 2021. Most recently, Alnutt hired Maurice Linguist as UB's head football coach. Alnutt also hired softball head coach Mike Ruechel and volleyball head coach Scott Smith.
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