Murray State University Athletics
From The Stables - Notes From the Desk of Director of Athletics Nico Yantko
9/1/2023 10:49:00 AM | General
Racer Nation!
We are thrilled that our 2023-24 athletic season is underway with a handful of our programs already in action and football kicking off their season with the 1,000th game in program history when the Racers face Presbyterian on Saturday, Sept. 2.
In my last letter, we shared all of the incredible progress that we have made over the last year. We would not be where we are today without the incredible generosity of Racer Nation. This season is going to be special because of your unwavering support.
I want to take a few moments to express my gratitude and excitement about my recently announced contract extension. I cannot thank Dr. Bob Jackson and the Board of Regents enough for this incredible opportunity to continue leading our incredible student-athletes, coaches and staff.
Marnie, Chaney, Gino and I love being in Murray and we are so excited for the 2023-24 athletics year. To serve you, our University community, Racer student-athletes, coaches and staff as Murray State's tenth Director of Athletics, is an awesome responsibility. For our family, it is the ultimate privilege.
CONFERENCE TRANSITION PROGRESS
As we enter year two of our tenure in the Missouri Valley Conference, I want to applaud each of our sport programs for their success during our inaugural season. Each one of our teams made their respective MVC post-season tournament, which is a tremendous accomplishment.
On Saturday, Sept. 2, we begin our first season as full members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. This is an extremely competitive and well-respected league, and I know head coach Dean Hood and his staff will have our team ready to go for the season opener against Presbyterian.
Officially official‼️
— Murray State Football (@racersfootball) July 1, 2023
Day ☝️ in @ValleyFootball!#GoRacers🏇 pic.twitter.com/hcM9U19lgx
The Missouri Valley Football Conference recently announced a multi-year extension with ESPN that will provide each member institution with new national exposure and revenue opportunities. With the agreement, the league will now see a minimum of nine on ESPN linear networks (ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU), in addition to continuing the eight-game Conference "Game of the Week" digital package on ESPN+. This opportunity allows us to continue and push our brand to a national audience!
STAFF ENHANCEMENTS & RESTRUCTURE
Earlier this week, we announced the restructure of our executive leadership team and announced the addition of new staff members that have already had an immediate impact on the department. We are excited to see where we will be able to go with these new roles elevating our brand and enhancing the student-athlete experience on a daily basis. You can read more on each of these new individuals here.
One of the major areas of emphasis from a staffing standpoint were in sports medicine and strength & conditioning. Prior to September 2022, we had one athletic trainer and one strength & conditioning coach for every 117 student-athletes. I am excited to announce that entering this season those numbers have been cut to one athletic trainer per every 43 student-athletes and one strength & conditioning coach per every 69 of our student-athletes.
We have also committed to increasing our coaching staffs to continue enhancing the student-athlete experience. Football has now filled out its staff with 10 full-time assistant coaches, while Men's Basketball and Women's Basketball now boast the largest staffs in the Missouri Valley Conference. Additionally, our Baseball and Softball programs now have three assistant coaches.
You have also probably noticed some of the new and exciting content that we have been producing and publishing on our social media channels. We have been very intentional on finding unique ways to showcase our student-athletes and tell their stories through these mediums with the help of new creative positions.
RACER ARENA GAME
We were beyond excited to announced that Racer basketball is returning to Racer Arena for the first time in 25 years, and we are now a little under two months way from tip-off.
2️⃣5️⃣ years in the making.
— Murray State MBB (@RacersHoops) July 29, 2023
We return to 𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗔 in November!#GoRacers🏇 pic.twitter.com/Kn8uoMEF2V
We cannot wait to celebrate this special moment with all of Racer Nation and we have some special things planned that we will be announcing soon, so be sure to purchase your tickets today!
NIL
As you know, Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) has become a major part of college athletics over the last few years and has continued to change the recruiting landscape. We are hard at work coming up with a great plan to continue and bring top student-athletes to The Finest Place We Know.
Over the next few weeks, you will see some big news that will be gamechanger for our current and future student-athletes. We cannot wait to share it with you!
We have continued to make impressive strides through our new partnership with Brandr, which allows our student-athletes to sell officially licensed products with our marks and logos. Since our public launch, we lead the NATION in total jersey sales! To be clear, we are selling at a higher rate than teams in the SEC and Big Ten!
This is a huge testament to the support of Racer Nation, and we cannot wait to unveil products from additional programs soon.
SPORTS GAMING IN KENTUCKY
This month, our full staff and entire student-athlete body received world-class education from a leading national consultant in anticipation of sports gaming becoming legal in Kentucky. Over the coming weeks, the department will provide education and more information to the general public on this subject, as well as continue to provide constant education internally.
FACILITIES COMPLETED/CURRENT PROJECTS
As I have mentioned over my last few letters, we have made significant investment into our facilities over the last year, and those projects, along with many others, are now complete. Fans attending basketball will be treated to the new LED lights in the CFSB Center as well as the new court. Our Baseball and Softball programs have also received a huge recruiting tool with the Baseball/Softball Performance Center, the largest dedicated performance space in the Missouri Valley Conference.
🤩 New look in the team room on game week! #GoRacers🏇 pic.twitter.com/Vshc525LD6
— Murray State Football (@racersfootball) September 1, 2023
Football has seen a major transformation of their spaces, with a complete remodel of the football team lounge and team meeting space, as well as the addition and upgrades to the coach's suite. Additionally, we committed resources to power washing the CFSB Center and Roy Stewart Stadium, which has already made a major difference on the exterior of those facilities.
There has been so much progress made over the last year, and we could not have done it without you, our loyal investors and fans. We have an incredibly bright future ahead and as I always say…the best is yet to come!
Go Racers!
Nico Yantko
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