Buffalo State fires inaugural women’s wrestling staff

SUNY Buffalo State University administration confirmed to The News Wednesday morning that women’s wrestling head coach Steve Hart and assistant coach Kellen Devlin are no longer employed by the school, adding in a statement that a search process is underway for a new head coach.

Hart and Devlin were in charge of building the Division III women’s wrestling program, one of two in Western New York along with D’Youville. Buffalo State is expected to begin competition this fall.

The school administration did not say why Hart was no longer part of the program or when he was fired. Wayne Brumfield, interim vice president of student affairs, declined an interview request from The News, made through a school spokesman Wednesday.

Hart, who was hired in September 2023 as Buffalo State’s wrestling coach, did not immediately respond to a phone message and a direct message on social media left by The News seeking comment.

However, the Buffalo State women’s wrestling program released a lengthy statement Tuesday night regarding “the announced restructuring within the women’s wrestling program” on its Instagram account, which included a statement from Hart.

Buffalo State confirmed to The News that the women’s wrestling program’s statement was not an official statement from the university. Devlin, the assistant coach, sent the statement to multiple media outlets.

That Instagram story was later deleted, and as of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Buffalo State women’s wrestling program’s Instagram account no longer included any posts.

“While Buffalo State leadership maintains that it remains committed to the women’s wrestling program, the sustainability of a college program from a tactical, managerial and recruiting standpoint is highly questionable with just under four months (sic) until the official start of the season, and with a team schedule that Kellen and I have both built,” Hart said in the statement.

“I am saddened beyond belief by this turn of events, as we had great plans for the program as it was originally envisioned and funded. And for the 24 student-athletes (and their families) we worked so hard to recruit, I just feel terrible. I have no answers as to what the Buffalo State program might look like now or in the near future, if it even moves forward.”

The message also said the changes were made by the school’s interim president and interim vice president of student affairs — Brumfield and interim president Bonita Durand were not named in the message — and were not made in consultation with “or with the prior knowledge or input of the university’s athletic director.”

Buffalo State athletic director Renee Carlineo did not respond to a message left by The News regarding the coaching changes or the statement posted on social media by the wrestling program.

The statement also said that “Hart was informed last week that the interim president of the university is now requiring a comprehensive assessment of Buffalo State’s athletic department to measure its proportionality and compliance with Title IX, in light of the looming financial deficit the university has experienced in recent years.”

The statement released by the Buffalo State women’s wrestling program remained on Devlin’s Facebook page Wednesday morning, along with a statement from Devlin.

“To say I am devastated for the 24 student athletes Stephen and I recruited with the best of intentions is an understatement,” Devlin wrote. “We had such big plans and were putting our dreams into action…and to have our legs amputated 4 months before the start of our inaugural season is unconscionable. The new interim president and interim vice president face serious questions from many heartbroken women and their families.”

Reached by phone Wednesday morning, Devlin declined to comment and referred all calls to Hart.

Hart was an assistant at St. Francis High School this season.

Hart was previously the head coach of the Starpoint High School wrestling program. He was not reappointed in September 2023 after the Starpoint School District commissioned an “independent decision maker” to conduct a Title IX investigation, which determined that allegations of sexual harassment within the wrestling team in February were substantiated.