UB picks up pair of 1-MAC awards

The Mid-American Conference (MAC) last week announced the recipients of its 1-MAC awards, and UB garnered two of the awards.

UB claimed the 2026 1-MAC Institution Award, marking the sixth time in the award’s nine-year history that the university has received this honor. In addition, UB’s Melanie Bliz was named the recipient of the 2025-26 1-MAC Administrator Award.

In November 2016, the MAC announced one of the most comprehensive inclusion programs in Division I intercollegiate athletics with the creation of the 1-MAC Program. The 1-MAC Program has continued to evolve, providing education and training, leadership development and advancement opportunities for coaches, administrators and student-athletes throughout the conference.

MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher says UB “has used the power of athletics to create opportunity, bring people together and make a meaningful difference in the lives of its student-athletes and throughout the Western New York community. That kind of leadership is important, it is enduring, and it represents the highest ideals of the Mid-American Conference. We are proud to recognize Buffalo for the example it is setting for our conference and for collegiate athletics.”

Steinbrecher cited UB's Stronger Together initiative and its year-round commitment to inclusion as examples that it has “a profound understanding of the responsibility that comes with being a university.” 

Buffalo’s Stronger Together initiative serves as the foundation for year-round efforts focused on belonging, leadership, wellness, education and community engagement across all 16 athletics programs.

During the 2025-26 academic year, Buffalo provided student-athletes with opportunities to learn, lead and serve through educational programming, the More Than an Athlete speaker series, Horns Up for a Cause and numerous leadership development initiatives. The department also earned a perfect Athletics Equality Index score for the third consecutive year.

Buffalo continued to make an impact throughout Western New York through community partnerships and service. Student-athletes mentored more than 200 children through Become a Bull, while more than 5,400 elementary students participated in Education Day and National Girls & Women in Sports Day programming.

“I’m extremely proud of our staff and student-athletes here at UB as we continue to represent the qualities of the 1-MAC Award as a pillar of our fundamental mission to educate, celebrate and respect each other's differences, be inclusive, and give back to the Western New York community," says UB Director of Athletics Mark Alnutt.

Bliz, the 2025-26 1-MAC Administrator recipient, serves as the associate athletic director for student-athlete enrichment for the Bulls’ men’s and women’s basketball teams.

Bliz has been a leader in advancing community, belonging and student-athlete engagement at Buffalo through innovative programming, partnerships and educational initiatives. Her work includes the creation of Horns Up for a Cause, an annual initiative that provides each Bulls team an opportunity to support causes meaningful to its members, as well as More Than an Athlete, which connects student-athletes with campus partners through education and dialogue.

Through the Bulls Reading Stampede, Buffalo student-athletes connect with local elementary schools to promote literacy and mentorship. Bliz also serves as co-chair of the Stronger Together Task Force and has helped develop programming that celebrates the backgrounds and experiences of Buffalo student-athletes.

“I am incredibly honored to receive the MAC-1 Administrator Award, but this recognition represents a ‘we’ far more than an ‘I,’ says Bliz. “Through our Stronger Together Task Force, our student-athletes, coaches, staff and campus partners have created opportunities for education and dialogue, celebrated the experiences and identities within our community, and expanded our impact throughout Western New York through initiatives like the Bulls Reading Stampede, food drives, and community partnerships.

“I am incredibly proud of how this work continues to grow through the ideas, passion and commitment of so many people,” she adds. “This recognition reflects what is possible when we work together with purpose and reminds us that we are truly stronger together.”