Murray State University Athletics
From The Stables - Notes From the Desk of Director of Athletics Nico Yantko
12/20/2023 3:17:00 PM | General
Racer Nation,
I want to start this letter off by wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Marnie, Chaney, Gino, and I. There is no better time in Murray, Kentucky, than the holiday season!
We are halfway through the 2023-24 athletics year and we have so much to update you on, including a successful start to the year for our student-athletes, athletically, academically and in the community, a new wave of facility projects and more.
RACER ARENA
On November 1, we returned to Racer Arena for the first time in 25 years. The atmosphere was incredible and brought back so many memories for all of Racer Nation. Our team showed a lot of fight through the emotion of the evening and emerged victorious in front of a SELL OUT crowd! We cannot thank Racer Nation enough for showing up and showing out in our return game, and who knows, maybe we will return again before another 25 years is up.
I also want to extend a special thank you to David Taylor and the DTC Auto Group, who helped make this game possible. We could not have pulled off such a memorable event without his unwavering support.
FALL 2023 ACADEMIC UPDATES
I am so excited to announce that for the 39th-straight semester, our student-athletes achieved a departmental 3.0 cumulative GPA. We are beyond proud of each and every one of our Racers and I appreciate our entire academic staff for their tireless efforts in helping continue this streak once again.
With the semester having ended, I also want to congratulate the 22 Racers who earned their degrees. There is no greater honor than becoming an alum of Murray State University!
DENNIS JACKSON LEADERSHIP PROGRAM/COMMUNITY SERVICE
Over the course of the Fall semester, our student-athletes and staff logged 734 hours of community service, doubling last year's semester total and nearly surpassing the year-long total from the 2022-23 athletics year. In total, we were able to serve 22 local organizations in Murray and Calloway County.
This semester...
— Murray State Racers Athletics (@MSURacers) December 15, 2023
7⃣3⃣4⃣ Community Service Hours
2⃣2⃣ Organizations Served
🫶So much love for our community here in the MKY!
🔗: https://t.co/lSk8xVWAHv#GoRacers🏇 pic.twitter.com/5dGvDpt0kC
As one of the key components of our Dennis Jackson Leadership Program, this is a huge accomplishment for our department and we look forward to continuing to showcase our service mentality during the spring semester.
GORACERS.COM/GO RACERS APP
At the end of November, we were thrilled to announce the launch of the new-look GoRacers.com, our first website redesign in almost a decade! The new look site showcases plenty of new features, including easy access for tickets, schedules, stories and more.
We have also added a new state-of-the-art app through Sidearm. The new app not only gives our fans instant access, but features a full Ticketmaster integration direct access to live video, audio and stats. Click HERE to download the Go Racers app today!
100 YEARS OF RACER FOOTBALL/2024 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
We were excited to announce our 2024 football schedule earlier this month as prepare for the 100th season of the program. Our team is already working on an exciting promotional plan and new fan experiences for next season to make sure we celebrate this historic season!
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻‼️
— Murray State Football (@racersfootball) December 7, 2023
📅: https://t.co/qp9Z74zfRV
📰: https://t.co/ogcrWUHAHd#GoRacers🏇 pic.twitter.com/BKxV21fM7t
Click HERE to view the entire 2024 schedule.
FUNDRAISING/REVENUE SUCCESS
Since my arrival last fall, we have continued to make fundraising and revenue generation a type priority throughout our department. Over the last few months, we have continued to make tremendous strides in these spaces.
During the week of Homecoming, we were thrilled to receive a $1.2 million gift from Jim and Sue Cash for enhancements to Miller Memorial Golf Course and other department projects and initiatives. This gift was the LARGEST single gift to the department in our history, and we cannot thank the Cash family enough for their generosity!
We saw a huge swell of support on Giving Tuesday and during this year's Week of Giving, receiving a combined total of $317,255! The total raised during the Week of Giving was a NEW RECORD, surpassing last year's record-setting total by over $30,000.
Over the last few weeks, we have also received a $500,000 and $100,000 gift from two generous investors in Murray. I speak for our entire department when I say THANK YOU to ALL of our generous investors for everything you do to support Murray State! Every person matters and every dollar counts!
BRANDR PARTNERSHIP
Since announcing our partnership with The Brandr Group in August, we have seen a huge wave of support for our student-athletes from Racer Nation. We have led the NATION in sales every month since our launch and are currently third in sales for the entire calendar year behind UConn and Missouri with $61,000 in sales. This is an amazing accomplishment and we cannot wait to continue and roll out merchandise for our other programs in the coming months.
You can purchase your merchandise and support our student-athletes by clicking HERE.
ENTERTAINMENT/ATTENDANCE RECORDS
With your help, we have had an incredible year supporting our programs. Football finished the year ranked fourth in the MVFC and 28th in all of FCS with 9,645 people coming to Roy Stewart Stadium per game, up seven spots nationally from a season ago. The program also broke two attendance records, with 13,213 fans at Family Weekend, the largest crowd for that game in program history, and 15,868 for Homecoming, the fourth-largest crowd EVER!
Since making our women's basketball games free thanks to our great partners at CFSB, attendance has been incredible! The team saw a record standalone crowd and Education Day crowd of 2,317, shattering the previous record of 1,375. The men continue to have great crowds as well and continue to be at the top of The Valley.
Our great crowds have also been treated to a variety of new fan experiences and performances that we have never before seen in Murray. From the 1,000th game coin to the flyover at football to Red Panda dazzling the crowds at basketball, we have made a point to make one-of-a-kind experiences for everyone attending our events!
On December 1, we hosted Jack Harlow in the CFSB Center, a concert that our community and region will remember for a long time. We are excited to announce that it was the largest grossing event in the arena history and we cannot wait to continue to bring in exciting shows in the near future.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE TRANSITION UPDATE
As our programs continue to participate in their second year in the Missouri Valley Conference, we continue to see how much the competition level has changed in our new neighborhood. It was recently announced that The Valley was the eighth-best conference nationally according to the Kenpom rankings, a huge jump from the Ohio Valley Conference, which was listed as 28th-nationally.
In the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the league placed a record seven teams in the FCS Playoffs this year, five of which were on our schedule during our inaugural season. Our 2024 slate is equally as challenging, with five playoff teams on the docket in addition to two SEC programs.
ARCH MADNESS/HOOPS IN THE HEARTLAND
It is time to start making plans to support our men's and women's basketball programs at Arch Madness in St. Louis and Hoops in the Heartland in Moline, Illinois.
From now through Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, Racer fans get a discounted price of $175 per ticket to attend Arch Madness. Tickets can be purchased through the Murray State Ticket Office at the CFSB Center, by calling (270) 809-3000 or by clicking HERE. The Marriott St. Louis Grand is the official hotel of the Racers for Arch Madness and will the hub of activity for the Murray State team, staff, spirit groups and fans. You can reserve a room in the block by clicking HERE.
Tickets for Hoops in the Heartland are now available as well and can be purchased HERE.
As we look ahead to 2024, there is still so much left for all of us to accomplish together. We are so incredibly thankful for the generosity and support of our loyal, alumni, investors and fans, and we cannot wait to share with you what the future holds!
THE BEST IS YET TO COME!
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Go Racers!
Nico Yantko
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