Christina Roybal joined the NKU athletics staff as Vice President and Director of Athletics, on July 1, 2022.
Her first year at Northern Kentucky University in 2022-23 was one for the record books as both the men’s basketball and softball programs won their respective Horizon League Championship and represented Northern Kentucky on the national stage at the NCAA Tournament.
As a department, the Norse also finished with their highest school ranking in the McCafferty Trophy all-sport standings since joining the Horizon League, showing growth across all athletics department programs.
Roybal also oversaw two of the largest crowds in NKU Athletics history, as the men’s basketball program played in front of a school record crown of 8,503 in their win over Cincinnati on November 16, 2022 inside Truist Arena, and the women’s volleyball program sold out Regents Hall for the first time in school history as they hosted nationally-ranked Ohio State on August 25, 2023.
To go with the Norse success on the field of competition, NKU student-athletes recorded the highest grade point average in program history in the Spring of 2023 with a 3.52 department wide GPA. It was the second straight semester in which NKU set a new school best, as the Fall of 2022 also set a department record. It was the 24th straight semester with a department GPA of 3.0 or higher and the 18th consecutive semester above a 3.2 GPA.
Prior to NKU, Roybal served as Senior Associate Athletics Director for Sports Administration with University of Northern Iowa, which she began in 2016. Roybal also held the roles of Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) and Deputy Title IX Coordinator with the Panthers.
While at UNI, Roybal had administrative responsibility for 14 sports for the Panthers: women's basketball, volleyball, soccer, softball, men's/women's cross country, men's/women's indoor track and field, men's/women's outdoor track and field, men's/women's golf, women's tennis and women's swimming and diving.
In the Missouri Valley Conference with UNI, Roybal served on the Long-Range Planning Committee, Sports Management Committee and was the MVC Joint Committee sport liaison to the tennis coaches. Previously, she has also served on the conference’s Relations Committee and had been the sport liaison for the swimming and diving coaches.
Before to joining UNI, Roybal spent 10 years at Fresno State (2006-16) serving in a variety of administrative roles including Interim Senior Woman Administrator (2015) and sport administrator for women’s lacrosse, men’s/women’s tennis and she was in charge of the implementation of women’s water polo to the university. She also worked extensively with the Title IX Coordinator in creating and maintaining plans for equity compliance.
Roybal began her professional career at Fresno State where she worked as the Group Sales Coordinator from 2006-2010. She was promoted to Tickets/External Relations Coordinator in 2010. From 2012-2013, Roybal worked in the Athletics Business Office before being promoted to Director for Administrative Operations in 2013 and Assistant Athletics Director for Administrative Operations in 2015.
She was active on the Fresno State campus serving on a variety of committees including Gender and Minority Equity Subcommittee of the Athletic Advisory Council, Title IX Campus Multidisciplinary Team, Marketing Advisory Council for the Craig School of Business Marketing and Logistics Department, Staff Training and Recognition Day Steering Committee, President’s Commission on Human Relations and Equity, and Co-Chair of National Girls and Women in Sports Day Committee.
In her Interim SWA role, Roybal served on the Mountain West Conference Joint Council, Joint Council Executive Committee, and was the Joint Council liaison to men’s/women’s tennis coaches.
She earned her bachelor of arts in health, physical education, and recreation in 2003 from Saint Mary’s College of California. Roybal added a pair of master’s degrees from Fresno State in kinesiology (2006) and business administration (2013).
Roybal is an active member of National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and Women Leaders in College Sports (formerly NACWAA). She is a graduate of the Institute for Administrative Advancement and Leadership Enhancement Institute.
Roybal has a son, Bailey, and a daughter, Nicolette.
