Otoupal resigns as athletic director

Vince Otoupal, athletic director for UVU, unexpectedly resigned Friday morning after holding the position for five years. Jared Sumsion, previously the senior associate athletic director has been named the interim head of the department.

In a prepared statement released by the school, Otoupal said “It’s time for me to pursue some things I have wanted to do for a long time.” The odd timing of the resignation, coming in the middle of a school year, was not acknowledged and Otoupal did not immediately return The Review’s request for comment.

“I have really enjoyed my time at UVU,” Otoupal said. “The student-athletes at UVU are amazing people. I am proud of what we accomplished during my tenure here.”

He came to the university in 2013 from California State University, Monterey Bay, where he was athletic director since 2008. He joined UVU just before athletics made the move to the Western Athletic Conference, which gave the teams a chance to compete for automatic bids to NCAA postseason tournaments.

Sumsion, who will serve as the interim athletic director, previously interviewed for the position five years ago along with Otoupal. He also served as student body president at then-UVSC in 2005.

UVU has won 14 WAC championships in his tenure and made five NCAA tournament appearances. In the past three years, 95 percent of eligible student-athletes have graduated.

“We appreciate what Vince has done during his five-year tenure,” said Val Peterson, UVU’s vice president for finance and administration. “Vince helped the athletic program move forward, allowing our athletes not only to compete for championships, but also to succeed in the classroom.”