< PreviousA dolph Rupp was synonymous with win- ning. As coach of Kentucky, he was a pioneer in the Wildcats’ fast-break offense while becoming the winningest coach the game had ever seen. The site that now serves as a tribute to his outstanding coaching accomplishments – Rupp Arena – has become one of the most recognizable gym- nasiums in the world while serving as home to college basketball’s most storied program. Now in its 50th season as the home court of Kentucky basketball, the facility has seen UKwin more than 88% of its home games since it opened in 1976. Long considered the mecca of college basketball, Rupp Arena received a $16 mil- lion upgrade over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons that has enhanced the fan experi- ence and once again made it one of the pre- mier venues in all of college basketball. The most notable updates include: n State-of-the-art Daktronics center-hung video board n 15mm ribbon boards n Replaced 16mm LED corner video boards with 6mm LED video boards to produce HD quality image n L Acoustic Line Array audio speaker system n Total sanding and repainting of the floor to reflect UK’s updated branding and logo n New basketball goals and new shot clocks n Added press box seating to the east side of the arena n Replaced LED scorer’s table with 6mm version and moved the old 10mm scorer’s table to the opposite side of the floor for radio broadcast seating n Replaced static ad panels in lower four corners of the arena with LED ad panels After renovations, Rupp Arena seats 20,500. Following the 2012 season, the Wildcats received a $3.1 million renovation to their locker room. Funded with private donations, the facility features the actual floor from the 2012 championship game. It has its own kitchen and dining area, as well as hot and cold tubs inlaid with the UK logo. There is also a recruiting room that is available to all 22 sports at the University of Kentucky. Since the fall of 1976, the arena in down- town Lexington has served as home to four national championship teams at Kentucky. Six others have advanced to the Final Four. Thirteen seasons have witnessed the Cats go unbeaten at home. It has played host to more than 700 UK games, more than 30 KHSAA Sweet Six- teens, a number of NBA exhibitions, 12 Men’s NCAA Tournaments, three Southeast- ern Conference Tournaments and two Ohio Valley Conference Tournaments. A new floor was installed in 2001. With so many unforgettable moments, the old floor still maintained a value to hoop fans across the Bluegrass and beyond. Therefore, offi- cials made pieces of the relic available for public sale, with proceeds going to the UK Basketball Museum, the KHSAA and to help offset the costs of the new playing floor. Thanks to an auction of additional sections, like coaching boxes and lettered end zones, the old floor generated more than $250,000. Midcourt of the old floor rests in the main entrance of the Lexington Center. When assembled, the court lies 118 feet below the ceiling and is made of a high-grade northern maple. The floor can be removed and an ice rink can be constructed for ice shows or hockey games thanks to a $2.5 mil- lion renovation during the summer of 1996. But the playing surface is just one aspect of the impressive home of the Cats. Situat- ed in downtown Lexington, Rupp Arena has played host to several premier basketball events. In March of 1985, all roads led to Lex- ington for the NCAA Final Four as Villanova shocked Georgetown in a memorable finale. In 1986, Rupp played host to both the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Women’s Final Four. On numerous other occasions, the arena has served as one stop en route to the NCAA title game. Starting in 2016, Rupp Arena hosted three straight NCAA women’s regional rounds. An awesome structure in sight and scope, the arena is divided into two seat- ing areas. The lower level features 10,000 cushioned theater seats. The upper level has 10,500 seats with new chairback seats in sections 211-217 and 228-234. The latter can be visually isolated to provide more nat- ural setting for small shows. Built by the city of Lexington, the are- na is the major portion of the $53 million Lexington Center complex, which includes an expanded convention-exhibition hall, a 50-store tri-level enclosed shopping mall and a Hyatt Regency Hotel. In January 2001, the Wildcats began utilizing a new lights-out introduction, fea- turing a video presentation and indoor fire- works. Rupp Arena Facts Capacity: 20,500 UK’s record: 676-88 (.885) Most Wins in a Season: 19 (2014-15) Longest Winning Streak: 54 (11/13/09 to 12/1/12) Packed to the Rafters •Now in its 50th season as the home court of Kentucky basketball, the facility has seen UKwin more than 88% of its home games since it opened in 1976 •Prior to reducing seating capacity for the 2019-20 season, Kentucky led the nation in average home attendance in 20 of the previous 24 seasons •Since Rupp Arena opened for the 1976-77 season, and excluding the 2020-21 season that was affected by the COVID-19 pan- demic, UK has ranked either first or second in average attendance every season •Chair-back seating was installed in the upper-sideline area prior to the 2019-20 season. Two club areas for season ticket holders opened in 2021-22 season with a third opening during the 2022-23 season •A center-hung scoreboard, ribbon boards, a new sound system and lighting were installed over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons @UKSportsNetwork n 71By Evan Crane UK Athletics Communications and Public Relations R eturning a good core of athletes from its national runner-up finish last season, the 2025-26 edition of the Kentucky rifle team is aiming high again as a new season gets underway. Kentucky, which has won three of the last seven NCAA Championships with team titles in 2018, 2021 and 2022, is set to com- pete all over the nation this season. After a competitive schedule from October to Feb- ruary, the Wildcats will compete in the Great America Rifle Conference Championships in late February and hope to qualify for their 32nd NCAA Championship appearance in March. The 2025-26 season is the 38th sea- son with head coach Harry Mullins at the helm. Mullins, who is joined only by legend- ary men’s basketball coach Adolph Rupp as the only head coaches in UK Athletics histo- ry with four national titles with the Wildcats, is excited for another great season ahead. “Hard to believe another season is here but I’ve been happy with our progress so far and excited to see what 2025-26 has to of- fer,” Mullins said. “Our athletes have been competing and fine-tuning their skills all over the world this summer and its always fun for them to return to campus and get practicing so we can see what they have been working on. This group is fun to be around and watch grow together with some strong veterans and exciting younger com- petitors. I cannot wait for November to be here so we can compete in front of Big Blue Nation again.” The 2025-26 season started nearly a month ago where it hopefully ends as the Wildcats traveled to Ohio State on Oct. 11 for a dual match. The Buckeyes will host the 2026 NCAA Rifle National Championships inside St. John Arena in mid-March. The last time Ohio State hosted the championships was in 2021 when Kentucky won its third team title. Kentucky has had several strong perfor- mances to start the year, currently ranked tied for No. 1 in the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association Top 20 rankings. This weekend will be exciting as the pro- gram hosts its first home match of the season against Memphis. All home matches in 2025- 26 are expected to stay around 9 a.m. and are open to the public with free breakfast. A full schedule is available at UKathletics.com. Postseason competition begins at the Great America Rifle Conference Champi- onships in West Point, New York on Feb. 28-March 1. The two-day event will feature smallbore and air rifle team and individual competitions. It will be the final tune-up be- fore the NCAA Championships March 13-14 in Columbus, Ohio. Kentucky is coming off a runner-up finish at the 2025 NCAA Rifle National Champi- onships, which the program hosted inside Historic Memorial Coliseum. The Wildcats finished just one point shy of tying for the team title, earning its seventh runner-up fin- ish in program history. Rising junior Braden Peiser posted a 599 in air rifle competition and finished second in the air rifle final after a one-shot shoot off. The Wildcats will return two unanimous CRCA All-America honorees to its 2025-26 roster in Peiser and senior Sofia Ceccarello. Peiser and Ceccarello were both first-team All-America in aggregate, smallbore and air rifle. Both had incredible seasons for Ken- tucky with Peiser leading Kentucky in small- bore average and aggregate average, while Ceccarello led in air rifle average and was second on the team in aggregate average. Also returning for Kentucky will be CRCA All-America honorees Sam Adkins and Mar- tin Voss, who both competed in the NCAA Championships last season. Adkins was honorable mention in smallbore and air rifle, while Voss was honorable mention in small- bore. UK’s other 2025 NCAA Champion- ships squadded competitor was Liz Probst, who had an incredible rookie season for UK. Probst earned a silver medal in smallbore at the GARC Championships last season and made the NCAA Championships smallbore individual final, finishing seventh. Both Ad- kins and Probst are poised for strong soph- omore seasons, while Voss will be entering his senior year. Also returning will be senior AJ Hotko, ju- nior Emily Marne and sophomores Brandon Evans and Hannah Todd. The Wildcats will also add several impressive junior competi- tors that should add great depth to Team 38. Kentucky is one of the most decorated programs in NCAA rifle history, with four national titles – 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2022 – seven runner-up finishes and 24 top-five finishes. Olympic Sports Update n Rifle Kentucky Rifle Sets Sights on National Championship No. 5 in 2026 70 n @KentuckyMBB KENTUCKY BASKETBALLD r. Eli Capilouto became the 12th Pres- ident of the University of Kentucky on July 1, 2011. Under his leadership, the Commonwealth’s flagship and land grant research university has grown from $2.7 billion to $8.6 billion in total operations and has gained significant momentum in ad- vancing Kentucky — the institution’s singu- lar yet multifaceted mission. President Capilouto has led a more than $7.3 billion transformation of the campus, aimed at enriching the living-learning ex- perience of UK’s students, ensuring their success; strengthening the university’s re- search infrastructure dedicated to solving Kentucky’s most intractable health and economic challenges; and expanding UK HealthCare’s capacity to teach, heal and serve. Through partnerships with the pri- vate sector, increased philanthropy and effective financial management, UK is self-financing much of this aggressive in- frastructure development with the purpose of equipping the next generation of leaders who will impact our Commonwealth and world for the better. Under his leadership, the university has experienced historic student suc- cess; enhanced care of our people; unri- valed ingenuity; greater trust, transparen- cy and accountability; and one communi- ty made up of many people. The progress on campus is resulting in a high-quality workforce and improved well-being for the Commonwealth UK has served for more than 160 years — all essential to ad- vancing Kentucky. A native of Montgomery, Alabama, Dr. Capilouto previously served as provost of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and dean of the UAB School of Pub- lic Health — a period of remarkable growth and transformation at one of the leading academic and health sciences institutions in the South. Dr. Capilouto holds several undergraduate and graduate degrees from schools within the University of Alabama system, a Doctorate of Dental Medicine from UAB and a Doctorate in Health Policy and Management from Harvard University. He and his wife, Dr. Mary Lynne Capilouto (D.M.D.), a former Dean of the UAB School of Dentistry, have one daughter. Eli Capilouto n President of the University of Kentucky 74 n @KentuckyMBB KENTUCKY BASKETBALLLEARN MORE AT UKY.EDU In Every Community. For Every Kentuckian. At the University of Kentucky, we don’t just show up on game day. We show up every day…for farmers, for families, for patients in our hospitals and for students chasing bold dreams. We are advancing agriculture and healthcare, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship and expanding opportunities for Kentuckians so they become healthier, wealthier and wiser. We are the University of, for and with Kentucky. And we’re advancing Kentucky together. AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY UNIVERSITYN ow in his 24th year as Director of Athlet- ics at the University of Kentucky, Mitch Barnhart’s impact spans the past, present, and future of UK Athletics while reach- ing across the entire landscape of college sports. Massive changes are underway in col- lege athletics, and Barnhart is once again helping lead the way. He is one of 10 athlet- ics directors on the Settlement Implementa- tion Committee, guiding the national rollout of the House case settlement. “Ten years of work in ten months,” he says with a wry grin. This isn’t Barnhart’s first national leader- ship role in tumultuous times. In 2020–21, he chaired the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tour- nament Committee. With the 2020 tour- nament canceled due to COVID-19, losing another landmark event would have jeop- ardized the NCAA’s primary revenue source and its championship operations across Di- visions I, II, and III. Working with the NCAA staff, Barnhart and his committee reorganized the massive event in just three months. The first-of-its-kind ar- rangement preserved one of America’s most cherished sporting events and kept the NCAA financially afloat, in addition to providing mil- lions of dollars to participating schools. At Kentucky, Barnhart is also shaping the future. UK Athletics is transitioning to Champions Blue LLC, a new business struc- ture enabling more agile financial opportu- nities. It’s being hailed as a groundbreaking model in college athletics. Barnhart’s 23-plus years at UK make him the second-longest serving AD among Pow- er 4 schools. With Oklahoma’s Joe Castigli- one set to retire, Barnhart will soon become the longest-tenured Power 4 AD. Barnhart has a long history of national service. In addition to his five-year term on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Committee, he served on the College Foot- ball Playoff Committee—one of only four people to serve as men's basketball chair and also on the football committee. Barnhart’s national influence extends through his “AD tree” – seven former staffers have become Division I athletics directors. Under Barnhart’s leadership, UK Athlet- ics placed in the top 20 of the NACDA Direc- tors’ Cup all-sports standings from 2017–23 (excluding 2020). The program’s nine best finishes have all come during his tenure, including a school-record ninth place in 2021–22, driven by a national title in rifle, an NCAA runner-up finish in men’s tennis, and third-place finishes in women’s indoor and outdoor track and field. UK has earned six NCAA championships under Barnhart: men’s basketball (2012), volleyball (2020), and rifle (2011, 2018, 2021, 2022). The Wildcats also have won 60 reg- ular-season and tournament conference titles, including first-time championships in baseball, women’s tennis, men’s golf, STUNT, and women’s swimming and diving. Since 2020, five Wildcats have been named National Athlete of the Year in their sport. Asia Seidt of swimming and diving re- ceived the NCAA Woman of the Year award for her excellence in athletics, academics, and community service. Numerous other Wildcats have earned national honors for their achievements on the field, in the class- room, and in the community. UK athletes have also been recognized as SEC Male and Female Athlete of the Year, SEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and SEC Male and Female Community Service Leaders of the Year. On the international stage, UK athletes made a major impact at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Eleven Wildcats earned 13 med- als—including nine golds—tying for third among colleges for most medals won by Team USA athletes. Barnhart’s success has earned him per- sonal accolades. In 2022, he was inducted into the (State of) Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame and received the John L. Toner Award from the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame for excellence in ath- letics administration. These honors add to a growing list of ac- colades, including being named the 2019 Division I AD of the Year by SportsBusiness Journal. Since arriving at UK in 2002, Barnhart has emphasized academic achievement and community engagement. The depart- ment first reached a 3.0 GPA in spring 2010 and has maintained that standard for 26 consecutive semesters. Wildcats con- tribute up to 4,000 hours of community service annually, with outreach extending to Ethiopia, the Dominican Republic, and Panama. Barnhart’s personal life reflects his com- mitment to growth and service. He is an avid mountain climber, has completed tandem parachute jumps with the Army Golden Knights, participated in mission trips, and serves on the national advisory board of K-Love Radio. A native of Kansas City, Kansas, Barnhart and his wife, Connie, have three children and seven grandchildren. Mitch Barnhart n Director of Athletics n University of Kentucky 76 n @KentuckyMBB KENTUCKY BASKETBALLNext >