Dear Campus Community, 

Wes Mallette has announced that he will step down as director of intercollegiate athletics, effective August 21, to become deputy athletics director/chief marketing officer at the University of South Carolina.  

Wes joined UC Riverside in 2018 as chief of staff and senior associate athletics director for external affairs, where he played a key role in rebranding efforts. He later stepped into leadership as interim athletics director amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Appointed to the permanent role in 2021, Wes helped secure a new shoe and apparel agreement with Nike and BSN SPORTS. He led UCR Athletics through several milestone achievements: a Big West Conference Tournament Championship in men’s soccer, four record-setting seasons in men’s basketball, UCR’s first NIT/WNIT invitations for men’s and women’s basketball, and the first NCAA tournament appearance for a UCR women’s golfer, among other successes. 

Wes was named one of the “100 Most Impactful People in Men’s College Basketball” by Silver Waves Media two years in a row. 

In the coming weeks, I will share interim leadership plans with the community. 

Please join me in thanking Wes for his service to UCR and for the contributions he has made to our student-athletes and university community.