Athletic Director Wesley Mallette leaving UC Riverside for South Carolina – Press Enterprise

RIVERSIDE — It continues to be a summer of transition for UC Riverside.

With new chancellor Dr. S. Jack Hu less than two months into his role, Wes Mallette is out as the Highlanders athletics director after accepting a job to become deputy athletics director and chief marketing officer at South Carolina.

“I am grateful to (former) Chancellor Kim Wilcox, and our campus community for their trust and partnership,” Mallette said in a statement. “Under the leadership and guidance of Chancellor S. Jack Hu, UCR Athletics is poised for great things ahead and the program has an opportunity to soar (and) continue to excel academically, athletically, and in the community.”

Mallette’s departure comes less than three months after the hiring of Gus Argenal to replace Mike Magpayo as men’s basketball coach, and with a nationwide search for a men’s and women’s golf director underway.

“UC Riverside is a special place, and I will always be proud of what we accomplished together,” Mallette said. “Our student-athletes, coaches, and staff showed what is possible when you lead with purpose, care deeply, and stay focused on doing things the right way.”

Mallette took charge of UCR athletics in 2021 after previously serving as interim director and helped the Highlanders preserve their Division I status. He has received credit for his work aligning campus programs to serve student-athletes.

“His vision, energy, and relentless commitment to student-athletes have left a lasting mark on UC Riverside and our conference,” Big West Conference commissioner Dan Butterly said. “Wes brings passion, creativity, and integrity to everything he does. We will miss him greatly.”

With Mallette in charge, UC Riverside claimed Big West Conference championships in men’s soccer, women’s cross country and men’s and women’s track & field. The women’s basketball reached the Women’s NIT, and the women’s golf team advanced to the NCAA Championship.

Mallette also is responsible for hiring Magpayo, who left for Fordham in March after ending his tenure at UC Riverside with back-to-back 20-win seasons, a number of Power 4 victories, and the program’s first Division I postseason appearance in the NIT.

“I was incredibly fortunate to get the chance to have my first head coaching job with Wes as my AD,” Magpayo said. “He sought me out, believed in me, and gave me a shot. He coached me and supported me every step of the way. What Wes did at UC Riverside was a lesson in sheer will to find excellence regardless of the circumstance and a belief that anything is possible. His skill set will help continue to energize and build South Carolina’s athletics program at an elite level.”

In an internal memo shared Tuesday on insideucr.edu, Hu wrote that he would “share interim leadership plans with the community” in the coming weeks.

At South Carolina, Mallette will serve on the senior leadership team under Athletics Director Jeremiah Donati and bring his three decades of experience in all aspects of intercollegiate athletics, external relations, marketing, branding, content creation, communications and the new NIL space to Gamecock Athletics.

“On behalf of our entire athletics department we are thrilled to welcome Wes and his family to South Carolina,” said Donati in the release on the Gamecocks’ website. “We identified a tremendous pool of traditional and non-traditional candidates for this position and he quickly rose to the top of the list.

“Wes brings a wealth of energy and experience, having touched every aspect of an athletics program. Particularly, his experience in external relations from marketing, branding, content creation, communications and the NIL space will be critical as we continue to embrace a new landscape across college athletics.

“He will be a great addition to our leadership team, our athletics department, to our university and to the city of Columbia, and we look forward to the positive impact he will have with Gamecock student-athletes.”