Allison Rich UNH Athletics

Two years ago, the NCAA decision on name, image and likeness (NIL), allowing student-athletes to be compensated, marked an important milestone in college athletics. With your background in sports law, could you share your thoughts on the NIL changes? NIL has been a huge step forward for our industry. It’s an opportunity for student-athletes to have some of the same opportunities that other students have always had, in terms of starting a business or creating a product. We want all student-athletes who are interested in doing the work to have the opportunity to engage in NIL activities, but student-athletes are students, first and foremost, especially at UNH. They are an integral part of the academic enterprise. We are engaging in conversations about NIL on the campus, conference and national levels to support and protect our student-athletes with consistent regulation, transparency, and protection of their amateur status.

You’re only the second female to lead both men’s and women’s athletics at UNH. Does that add any pressure to perform well? I don’t think of myself that way … I’m here to do a job, and I’m excited to have this opportunity. But I do think for our student-athletes, male and female, it’s important to see a woman in a position of power and leadership. And it’s important that they see me doing things the right way. So I strive to lead with integrity.

You’re busy with your daily responsibilities as athletic director, but do you have time to work directly with student-athletes? Yes! I have a captain’s council that I put together with representatives from all of our sports. I love those meetings because it’s a chance for me to hear from our team leaders about what’s important to them and get their feedback on some of the ideas I have. I also travel with our teams from time to time for games. When you’re on the road and eating together, it’s a very different experience than just seeing each other in the hallway.

What are some of the trends with student-athletes that you’ve seen, especially those students who’ve lived through a global pandemic? The upheaval of games during the pandemic was something that all student-athletes had to adjust to. “We’re playing, we’re not playing, the game’s back on, oh no, it’s off because someone tested positive.” That really took a toll on student-athletes. And then I think social media can be tough to navigate. Student-athletes are public figures, and everybody’s paying attention to what they’re doing, and they are watching what everybody else is doing via social media. It can be difficult when that makes you feel like you have to be perfect. We provide as much support and perspective as possible. UNH is proudly not one of those “Oh, suck it up, rub some dirt on it and get back out there” type places. These mental health struggles that some students experience are real, and life has changed for all of us. So we’re supporting athletes and adapting and moving forward the best we can.

What are some things coming up that you’re excited about? I’m excited about the planned improvements coming to the Whittemore Center. The updates present great opportunities for our student-athletes and our ability to recruit high-caliber students who want to come here. The Whitt has been around for almost 30 years now, and it’s still primarily the same as when it was built. Upgrading the facility also gives back to the community by bringing events into a refurbished space. Athletics is the front porch of a university, so it’s our responsibility to have great curb appeal and bring people to UNH.

We know any role in college athletics — and especially yours — can be a 24/7 job, but do you take time to enjoy professional sports for fun, like taking in a Bruins game or heading to Fenway? I grew up in Chicago, so I tend to follow most Chicago teams. Once, at a previous job, I took a rare day off and I went to see a baseball game. And somebody said to me, “I can’t believe you’re taking a day off to watch another game.” But what can I say? My Cubs were in town.