Bio

Tara Ruckh was appointed as Wells College's Director of Intercollegiate Athletics during July of 2023.

In this full-time administrative role, Ruckh is responsible for all of the following duties: the scheduling, maintenance, and renovations of all athletic facilities; oversight of all game operations; hiring, training and supervising of all athletic event staff; oversight of all team transportation needs; contracting of all facility rentals; developing and supervising of all internships with athletics, and several other special projects. 

Previous Wells College Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Lindberg had this to say about Ruckh upon her appointment to the role: "Tara brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position. Throughout her years at Wells, Tara has established herself as an invaluable member of the community, especially with our student-athletes and coaches. This administrative change in her role with the Athletic department enables us to move forward with several strategic initiatives designed to provide our student-athletes and campus community with excellent opportunities for success and engagement."

She started this position after serving as the Head Women's Basketball Coach and Assistant Athletics Director for Facilities at Wells since August of 2016.

Ruckh gained 11 years of head coaching experience after leading the women's basketball program at SUNY Potsdam from 2005-2016.

During her 11-year tenure at Potsdam, Ruckh coached the program's all-time leading scorer and led the team to its highest single-season win total with 17 victories in the 2008-09 season. Potsdam also advanced to the SUNY Athletic Conference championship game that year. The Bears competed in the ECAC Tournament in both 2008 and 2009.

Ruckh's contributions to the athletics department and in college basketball included roles as a lecturer in the physical education department, a staff advisor for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and the Athletic Leadership Committee. She served the NCAA Women's Basketball National Committee as East Region Chair from 2011-15. Prior to her role as Region Chair, Ruckh was a member of the regional rankings committee.

Ruckh was an assistant coach at Ithaca College from 2000-05, and the team compiled a 109-30 record and made five consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. She also assisted in coaching the women's lacrosse and women's track & field teams at Ithaca.

Ruckh earned her bachelor's degree in physical education from SUNY Cortland, where she was a four-year player for the women's basketball team and two-year captain. She helped the Red Dragons to the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance as a senior. Following her playing career, Ruckh was an assistant coach at Cortland and earned her master's degree in physical education.