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Women's Tennis
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- twist@buffalo.edu
- Phone:
- 716-645-6866
Kathy Twist is Buffalo's Senior Associate Athletic Director for Sports Administration and Senior Woman Administration, a position she has held since 2012. In this role, Twist served as the sports supervisor for men's tennis, women's soccer, men's and women's track and field, men's and women's cross country, women's volleyball and softball.
Twist served as UB's interim Athletic Director from late January until mid-April of 2018 prior to the hire of Mark Alnutt. During her time as interim AD, Buffalo experienced one of its most successful runs, which included women's basketball making it to the first Sweet Sixteen in school history, while the men's basketball team won their third MAC Championship in four year and they won their first ever NCAA Tournament game with an 89-68 win over PAC-12 champion, Arizona.
In addition, she was responsible for gender equity, diversity and inclusion within the Department of Athletics. Earlier this month, UB Athletics received the NCAA and Minority Opportunities Athletics Association's 2018 Award for Diversity and Inclusion, a recognition of the department's impactful initiatives aimed at creating an inclusive environment in athletics, on campus and in the community.
A dedicated UB citizen, Kathy has served on numerous university-level committees over the years. A Buffalo native, she is also very active in the community, serving as a member of the Sports Advisory Council for the Buffalo Niagara Sports Commission.
Prior to her administrative role, Twist served as the women’s tennis coach at UB for 16 seasons and spent one year as an assistant on the men’s staff. For her service to Western New York tennis community, Twist was inducted into the Buffalo Tennis Hall of Fame in 2014.
During her tenure at the helm of our women’s tennis program, Twist led the Bulls to their first postseason MAC Championship in 2008 and UB’s first appearance in the NCAA tournament. Twist joined UB in 1994 as assistant women’s coach before moving over to the men’s program the following year. With 136 career dual-match wins, she is the winningest coach in the program’s history of more than 30 years.
In 2002, Twist was selected as the PTR-Eastern Coach of the Year by the Eastern Section of the Professional Tennis Registry. The award, one of the most prestigious given by the PTR, recognizes organization members who have demonstrated the highest standards in the coaching of players or teams in their accomplishments and character. Twist’s overall tennis and coaching philosophy of developing athletes into not only top players, but also outstanding citizens, helped her earn the annual recognition from the organization.
Twist, a USPTR Certified Professional and Buffalo native, has a lifelong history in athletics. She played first singles and doubles for four years at D’Youville College in Buffalo. At D’Youville, Twist held the remarkable record of losing only one singles match in her entire career.
While attending D’Youville, Twist was captain of both the tennis and basketball teams and was listed in the “Who’s Who At American Universities” from 1972-74.
Twist has worked as a tennis instructor for the Buffalo Parks Department and has served as a teaching professional at several area tennis clubs. She began her college coaching career in 1975 at D’Youville.
A 1974 graduate of D’Youville where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing, Twist put her degree to use working as a registered nurse at various Buffalo hospitals for 18 years.
