West Texas A&M University Athletics

Lipinski’s innovative and forward-thinking approach to the rapidly evolving landscape of intercollegiate athletics has the Buffaloes modernizing the athletics department structure to focus on creating the best student-athlete experience. He has hit the ground running and has implemented a variety of new strategic initiatives that have resulted in productive outcomes.

He has incorporated the WT Athletics ABCs of Championship Excellence. 
A: ACHIEVE student-athlete success academically. 
B: BUILD champions in competition and life. 
C: CREATE campus and community engagement.

The 2024-25 season marked his first leading WT Athletics, which saw impressive revenue growth, high academic accomplishments and national athletics success. Through new revenue generation modeling, operational efficiency and enhanced entrepreneurial initiatives the department saw overall ticket sales increase by 18%, with basketball leading the way with a whopping 36% uptick. In an ongoing effort to continuously add to the fan experience, a pilot program for beer and wine sales was launched at First United Bank Center resulting in a 15% increase in concession revenue and has been adapted full time at Bain-Schaeffer Stadium.

As a strategic focused leader, he has detailed a roadmap for success while updating the current budget model in this new era of collegiate athletics, which included balancing the operational budget for the first since 2020. As the ecosystem has changed drastically in recent years with NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness)  WT athletics started two new NIL co-licensing partnerships with Influxer and Athletes Thread in effort to assist student athletes with this new frontier along with signinga three-year extension agreement with apparel giant Under Armor/Game One. The department expended it’s relationship with Teamworks to include NIL marketplace. 

In the entrepreneurial spirit, he established WT’s first ever Blacktop Basketball Bash event to tip-off the basketball season. This NACMA award-winning outdoor basketball promotion took place in the middle of campus on the 26th street pedestrian walkway.

The successes continued in the 2025-26 season, as the 2025 football team had the most LSC wins since 2012 (8-4) and won the Heritage Bowl. WT athletics continued the momentum by signing a multi-year multi-media agreement with industry leader Playfly Sports while having another banner year with a 22% increase in tickets sales. Lipinski assisted in spearheading an athletics fee referendum which passed a $9 credit hour increase and will take effect in 2026. Lady Buff Softball saw its largest donation in history ($1.5M) during their world series run.  The athletic department achieved the highest overall GPA in school history during the 2025-26 season. 
 
A few highlights since Lipinski’s arrival in Canyon:

• Two (2) Top Five Learfield Directors Cup finishes 
  • (3^rd 2024-25 & 4^th 2025-26)
• One (1) NCAA DII National Championship (Women’s Outdoor Track & Field -2026)
• Three (3) NCAA DII National Runners-up finishes
  • Women’s cross country: Best finish in school history (2024)
  • Men’s Outdoor Track & Field (2025)
  • Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2026)
• 19 Individual NCAA DII National Champions
• 15 Lone Star Conference Championships
• 21% increase in overall departmental revenue generation over two years
• Social media outreach generated 23+ million impressions, per year
  • 20.1% increase in engagement
• Raised $3M+ for athletics which includes:
  • $1.5M gift the largest in WT softball history
  • $1M gift for women’s athletics Lisa G Hennen Endowment
  • $200,000 gift sports performance endowment
  • Six new athletics endowments added
• External Relations unit earned 15 NACMA “Best of” Awards (2024-25/2025-26) 
  • Including the NACMA Marketing Team of the Year finalist (2025-26) 
  • Named the #1 Game Day Experience in the Nation (2025) by the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA)
• Increased attendance nationally:
  • Top 15 in men's basketball attendance 2024-25 & 2025-26
  • Women’s basketball 6^th 2024-25, 5^th  2025-26
• Implementation of new FloSports streaming agreement 
• One (1) NCAA Elite 90 winner (2025)
• Established a courtesy car dealership program 

To meet the demands of a modern athletics program, Lipinski established the department's new holistic approach to giving. Fundraising saw the launch of the Excellence Fund, which is an unrestricted fund within the newly re-imagined Buffalo Athletic Club that is now the official fundraising arm of WT Athletics, supporting all 16 varsity sports and in creating the best student-athlete experience in America for WT’s 450+ student-athletes. The fund will drive innovative new ideas along the continued growth, sustainability, and championship excellence.

The most significant transformation has been the creation of new campus partnerships through his collaborative approach. Through all of these new complexities in higher education his bold vision, high energy and innovation as already made a positive impact on revenue generation and overall business structure of the athletics department. 

The launch of the new athletics strategic plan the “West Texas Way” emphasis the Big Five strategic initiatives include Leadership Development, Championship Culture, Fan Experience, Community Outreach and Financial Metrics. The new initiatives have already seen results. Driving comprehensive tactics to grow new revenue streams and enhance existing ones, while securing the long-term financial strength and sustainability of WT athletics has been a major focus.

Lipinski spent 22 years at Grand Valley State University, his alma mater and a 16-time Learfield Director's Cup champion. He served as GVSU's deputy athletic director for external relations, overseeing all marketing and promotions, communications, ticketing, digital marketing, multimedia, corporate sponsorships, annual giving, merchandise and licensing. He and his team won 102 National Association of College Marketing Administrators awards the most by a school at any division, and he led the university in finalizing the largest sponsorship deals in its history. Which includes assisting in over $50 million in capital projects, securing the largest apparel agreement in NCAA DII, negotiated record setting broadcasting rights agreements and setting sponsorship revenue records. This includes the national recognized one of a kind revenue generating concept “Tailgate Town” in which a parking lot was converted to a tailgating space where pub sheds are leased as pre-game suites.
 
He was been active on the national scene as he has served on the NCAA DII Track & Field National Committee, NACMA Board of Directors, CFB 150 (college football) marketing committee member, attended the NACDA senior administrator institute, along with being a frequent speaker, presenter, panelist at ICLA, NACMA, NACDA and D2ADA national conventions and events.
Lipinski earned a bachelor's in advertising and public relations and a Master of Public Administration at GVSU. He was a four-year member of the varsity baseball team and spent the subsequent four years as an assistant coach to Hall of Fame head coach Steve Lyon before moving into administrative roles.

Lipinski and his wife Carrie are the proud parents of two sons, Adam and Lukas.