UC Irvine Athletics Names Chelsea Pfohl Assistant Athletic Director, Media Relations
September 28, 2026 | General
Pfohl brings championship communications experience, creative storytelling and deep Big West ties to Anteater Athletics
IRVINE, Calif. -- UC Irvine Athletics has named Chelsea Pfohl its new Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations, bringing more than seven years of Division I athletics communications experience to Anteater Athletics.
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Pfohl joins UCI from Long Beach State, where she served as Assistant Athletics Director for Communications and worked directly with baseball, women's basketball, women's soccer, women's tennis and men's volleyball. She led communications efforts for championship and postseason programs, including men's volleyball's Big West Championship season and the 2026 NCAA Men's Volleyball Regional hosted at the LBSU Financial Credit Union Pyramid. At Long Beach State, she served on the department's Extended Senior Staff and Revenue Generation Committees, contributing to initiatives focused on fan engagement, external relations and the growth of the department's brand.
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Before joining Long Beach State, Pfohl spent nearly six years at UC Riverside in a series of progressively responsible roles, most recently serving as Executive Analyst and Coordinator to the Athletics Director. In that role, she worked across the department on communications, external affairs and operations, supervised sports communications staff and represented UC Riverside at Big West senior external meetings. She also played a role in navigating significant departmental budget reductions and operational changes, while leading executive level communications efforts including a strategic plan update, presentations to the UC Regents Special Committee on Athletics and the department's first athletics press conference in more than a decade.
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Earlier in her UCR tenure, Pfohl led communications and gameday operations across all 19 Highlander sports, including championship seasons and postseason events. She hosted Big West Championship events in men's soccer and cross country. She also covered the Highlanders' 2022 men's soccer season, which culminated in both the Big West regular-season and tournament championships and an NCAA Tournament berth.
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Pfohl played a leading role in developing the national and international story surrounding UCR men's basketball head coach Mike Magpayo, who became the first Asian American head coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball. She built media opportunities around both Magpayo's historic appointment and the Highlanders' success on the court, generating coverage that extended beyond traditional college basketball media and into international outlets. The effort helped bring increased visibility to Magpayo's story, UCR men's basketball and the Highlander brand among audiences across the country, in the Philippines and throughout Asia.
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Earlier in her career, Pfohl served as Sports Information Director at Hope International University, covering 19 NAIA sports while gaining experience covering numerous NAIA championship runs, and supporting the Golden State Athletic Conference as hosts of the 2019 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship here in Irvine.
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"We are incredibly excited to have Chelsea join the Anteater Family," said Phil Wang, Deputy Athletics Director for External Affairs. "Her depth of experience in the Big West Conference and passion make her an outstanding addition to our team. We have no doubt that she will make a meaningful impact and help drive our mission forward."
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Pfohl also brings an extensive creative background to her work in athletics communications. Prior to her career in college athletics, she spent nearly a decade as a freelance photographer and lighting technician, covering events including New York Fashion Week and other luxury and couture events around the world. While pursuing her graduate degree, she worked in exhibition design at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Those experiences continue to shape her creative direction and approach to visual storytelling, as well as her ability to recognize and develop compelling stories in unexpected places.
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"I've spent my entire Division I career in the Big West, so I've had a front-row seat to the growth of this conference and the people who make it special," Pfohl said. "UCI has built something incredibly exciting, and I'm beyond grateful for the opportunity to be part of it. I'm excited to work alongside our coaches, student-athletes and external teams to strategically build greater visibility for Anteater Athletics and tell the stories of our people and programs in ways that connect with our community and reach audiences well beyond Irvine."
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A former NCAA student-athlete, Pfohl was a three-time NCAA All-American swimmer at New York University, where she was an NCAA finalist, UAA champion, record-holder, NCAA College Swim Coaches Association of America Scholar All-American, Founders Day award recipient and four-time Dean's List honoree. Her experience competing at the highest level of collegiate athletics, while balancing the demands of academics and competition, continues to shape her approach to her role and gives her a firsthand understanding of the student-athlete experience. Pfohl understands the effort, sacrifice and pride behind the statistics and headlines and is passionate about helping student-athletes and coaches tell those stories. While attending NYU, she earned a Master of Professional Studies in Interactive Telecommunications and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art.
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At UCI, Pfohl is charged with leading media relations efforts for Anteater Athletics, serving as the primary communications contact for men's basketball while working across the department to strengthen storytelling, expand media exposure and support external communications for the university's 18-sport program.
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Pfohl joins UCI from Long Beach State, where she served as Assistant Athletics Director for Communications and worked directly with baseball, women's basketball, women's soccer, women's tennis and men's volleyball. She led communications efforts for championship and postseason programs, including men's volleyball's Big West Championship season and the 2026 NCAA Men's Volleyball Regional hosted at the LBSU Financial Credit Union Pyramid. At Long Beach State, she served on the department's Extended Senior Staff and Revenue Generation Committees, contributing to initiatives focused on fan engagement, external relations and the growth of the department's brand.
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Before joining Long Beach State, Pfohl spent nearly six years at UC Riverside in a series of progressively responsible roles, most recently serving as Executive Analyst and Coordinator to the Athletics Director. In that role, she worked across the department on communications, external affairs and operations, supervised sports communications staff and represented UC Riverside at Big West senior external meetings. She also played a role in navigating significant departmental budget reductions and operational changes, while leading executive level communications efforts including a strategic plan update, presentations to the UC Regents Special Committee on Athletics and the department's first athletics press conference in more than a decade.
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Earlier in her UCR tenure, Pfohl led communications and gameday operations across all 19 Highlander sports, including championship seasons and postseason events. She hosted Big West Championship events in men's soccer and cross country. She also covered the Highlanders' 2022 men's soccer season, which culminated in both the Big West regular-season and tournament championships and an NCAA Tournament berth.
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Pfohl played a leading role in developing the national and international story surrounding UCR men's basketball head coach Mike Magpayo, who became the first Asian American head coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball. She built media opportunities around both Magpayo's historic appointment and the Highlanders' success on the court, generating coverage that extended beyond traditional college basketball media and into international outlets. The effort helped bring increased visibility to Magpayo's story, UCR men's basketball and the Highlander brand among audiences across the country, in the Philippines and throughout Asia.
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Earlier in her career, Pfohl served as Sports Information Director at Hope International University, covering 19 NAIA sports while gaining experience covering numerous NAIA championship runs, and supporting the Golden State Athletic Conference as hosts of the 2019 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship here in Irvine.
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"We are incredibly excited to have Chelsea join the Anteater Family," said Phil Wang, Deputy Athletics Director for External Affairs. "Her depth of experience in the Big West Conference and passion make her an outstanding addition to our team. We have no doubt that she will make a meaningful impact and help drive our mission forward."
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Pfohl also brings an extensive creative background to her work in athletics communications. Prior to her career in college athletics, she spent nearly a decade as a freelance photographer and lighting technician, covering events including New York Fashion Week and other luxury and couture events around the world. While pursuing her graduate degree, she worked in exhibition design at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Those experiences continue to shape her creative direction and approach to visual storytelling, as well as her ability to recognize and develop compelling stories in unexpected places.
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"I've spent my entire Division I career in the Big West, so I've had a front-row seat to the growth of this conference and the people who make it special," Pfohl said. "UCI has built something incredibly exciting, and I'm beyond grateful for the opportunity to be part of it. I'm excited to work alongside our coaches, student-athletes and external teams to strategically build greater visibility for Anteater Athletics and tell the stories of our people and programs in ways that connect with our community and reach audiences well beyond Irvine."
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A former NCAA student-athlete, Pfohl was a three-time NCAA All-American swimmer at New York University, where she was an NCAA finalist, UAA champion, record-holder, NCAA College Swim Coaches Association of America Scholar All-American, Founders Day award recipient and four-time Dean's List honoree. Her experience competing at the highest level of collegiate athletics, while balancing the demands of academics and competition, continues to shape her approach to her role and gives her a firsthand understanding of the student-athlete experience. Pfohl understands the effort, sacrifice and pride behind the statistics and headlines and is passionate about helping student-athletes and coaches tell those stories. While attending NYU, she earned a Master of Professional Studies in Interactive Telecommunications and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art.
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At UCI, Pfohl is charged with leading media relations efforts for Anteater Athletics, serving as the primary communications contact for men's basketball while working across the department to strengthen storytelling, expand media exposure and support external communications for the university's 18-sport program.
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