University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chancellor Steven R. Angle announced a contract extension for Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Mark Wharton today. Wharton is entering his seventh season with the Mocs and will continue to lead the athletics department through at least the 2027-2028 academic year.

"Mark has shown exemplary leadership in guiding our athletics program," Angle said. "He has built a culture that has positively influenced our student-athletes' success in the classroom, in competition and in the community.

"He has assembled and developed an outstanding staff that includes a talented group of coaches and administrators. They have worked tirelessly to recruit, guide and mentor our outstanding student-athletes who are exemplary representatives of our University. I am excited about the direction of our athletics program and look forward to enjoying their continued success." 

Wharton's leadership was recently recognized nationally with the 2023 Cushman & Wakefield Athletics Director of the Year Award. Presented by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), Wharton was one of four recipients in the Football Championship Subdivision. 

"I am extremely grateful to Dr. Angle for the opportunity to continue to work at such an outstanding institution," Wharton said. "His support for our student-athletes is unbelievable and the University's support for athletics is a driving force behind our success.

"I want to thank our coaches and staff for their continued dedication to our program. Most importantly, I want to commend our student-athletes for their efforts in the classroom, in competition and the way they represent the Power C.  We have accomplished a lot over the last six years, but there is much more left to achieve."

In the classroom, student-athletes set a new mark with a 3.421 overall GPA in the spring of 2020 and graduation rates for student-athletes reached 91 percent in 2022. On the fundraising front, the Mocs Club topped $3.3 million raised each of the last two years while setting a UTC Athletics record for the most raised in gifts and commitments in 2022-2023.

In competition, men's basketball, women's basketball, soccer, softball, men's tennis and wrestling have all won Southern Conference titles over the last five years. In addition, 15 individuals have earned conference Player of the Year honors, 14 have earned All-American honors and nine have won individual SoCon Championships.

Wharton also has an eye for hiring talented coaches. He made four new hires in the spring of 2022, including Julie Torbett Thomas (volleyball), Dan Earl (men's basketball), Shawn Poppie (women's basketball) and Blaine Woodruff (men's golf). He also hired football head coach Rusty Wright (2019) and wrestling head coach Kyle Ruschell (2019) earlier in his UTC tenure.

Other examples where Wharton's leadership skills have been recognized nationally at the FCS level include his current role on the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Executive Committee, his position as chair of the Southern Conference Athletic Directors, and his membership on the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee and the FCS Regional Advisory Committee.