ALFRED, NY – After serving as the Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant for two years, Devon Withers '22 MBA will return to the Saxons' Athletics Department as the Assistant Director of Athletic Communications.
 
"I feel very grateful for the opportunity to continue my work with Alfred University," Withers said. "I would like to thank Chris Boswell, Paul Vecchio and the rest of the Athletic department for having confidence in my ability to represent this program. I love it here in Alfred and becoming a full-time member of this staff is really special."
 
Withers' new role will have an official start date of July 1, 2022 after he graduated with his Masters of Business Administration in May. He will be the primary contact for Alfred University's football, men's soccer, men's basketball, women's lacrosse and both men's and women's tennis teams. While being the primary contact for those sports, Withers will assist with all the remaining sports' home contests.
 
"I'm very proud of the fact that our graduate assistants in Athletic Communications gain the necessary experience and skills to remain in the field upon graduating. Devon is yet another perfect example of this," Director of Athletic Communications, Boswell said. "I challenged Devon once I was promoted in December. I told him that he needs to show me the resolve and determination to not only want to build himself up, but to be self-motivated to want to learn new skills and to have the critical thinking skills to find and utilize the resources at hand to do so. He accomplished that feat to the letter and I am so incredibly proud of him."
 
Outside of hosting home contests, Withers will also work with the Alfred University Athletics Department's website, www.GoSaxons.com and the general maintenance of rosters, schedules, record books and various other webpages, like the Saxon Inclusion & Diversity page that he, along with Senior Women's Administrator and Head Coach of the women's volleyball team, Dakota Pruiss built throughout the Fall 2021 semester. "I am very excited that Devon's role in our department has been elevated. On top of his quality work with game operations, Devon has shown leadership on a grander scale with department initiatives such as Saxon Inclusion," Coach Pruiss said. "Thank to his efforts, our student-athletes have a one-stop shop for resources regarding LGBTQIA+, racial equity and mental health topics. Our department has always prided itself on our student-athlete experience and Devon has run with that as a huge personal priority. I could not be more elated to welcome him on in a full-time capacity."
 
In the Fall 2021 semester, Withers went from being the sport contact for only the two soccer programs to being the contact for both soccer teams, football and tennis, due to short staffing issues. "Devon's willingness to step up and take over those sport responsibilities not only in the fall but throughout the year was such a huge help to the department and to me, personally," Boswell said. "He was doing all of that while working for Residence Life and while earning his MBA with top marks in his classes. Now that he is in a full-time position, I know this office is going to excel and be one of the best, not only within the Empire 8, but within Division III."
 
Prior to working at Alfred University, Withers was a Sports Information Intern for the University of Rochester in the Spring 2020 semester. He worked as a Promotions & Social Media Intern for the Rochester Red Wings, a Minor League Baseball team as a Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Withers was also a Communications & Sports Information Intern for the Red Wings prior to his later position.
 
Withers is a graduate of Alfred State College, earning his Bachelor's in Sport Management in 2020 before attending Alfred University for post-graduate studies. "My top priority is to continue to highlight the student-athlete experience here at Alfred University," Withers said. "Our student-athletes and their families sacrifice a lot to get to this point, so finding creative ways to enhance their time here is important. I can't wait to continue to introduce more innovative projects that the community can embrace."