Murray State University Athletics

Murray State Breaks Record for Highest Graduation Success Rate in School History
11/21/2024 2:12:00 PM | General
Racers register 94 percent overall GSR in most recent NCAA Report and see seven programs post perfect 100 percent score
Murray State Athletics received a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 94 percent in the latest figures distributed by the NCAA, marking the highest-ever GSR score earned by the Racers in school history.
The Racers' overall score is the highest in the Missouri Valley Conference among the league's public schools and ranks fourth overall. Additionally, these seven programs achieved a GSR score of 100 percent: Men's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Women's Golf, Rifle, Softball, Tennis and Volleyball.
"We are extremely proud of each of our more than 430 student-athletes and are grateful for the coaches and academic staff who are prioritizing success in the classroom," Director of Athletics Nico Yantko said. "We continue to be intentional by investing in championship resources for each of our sport programs such as Alston Academic Incentive money so our teams can recruit top talent and maintain the academic success we have experienced. We are fortunate to have investors who believe in the holistic success and experience of our student-athletes, and we cannot thank them enough for believing in them and for believing in our overall vision for excellence."
Since the Fall of 2022 and the inception of the Dennis Jackson Leadership Program, Murray State has excelled in the classroom, extending its streak of semesters with a 3.0 or better departmental GPA to 40 consecutive semesters. The Spring 2024 GPA of 3.34 marked the highest GPA in school history and was complimented by all Racer sport programs notching a 3.0 GPA or higher.
GSR is a gauge of every team's graduation rate within a six-year period of a student-athlete's enrollment. The latest GSR figures examined the student-athlete cohort that originally enrolled in 2017 and would need to have graduated by August of 2023 to count as a graduate.
The GSR formula, intended to be a complete and accurate look at student-athlete success, removes from the rate student-athletes who leave school while academically eligible and includes student-athletes who transfer to a school after initially enrolling elsewhere. The GSR also allows for a deeper understanding of graduation success in individual sports than the federal metric, which has broader groupings.
2023-24 Murray State Graduation Success Rate (by Sport)
Overall Department GSR – 94 (School Record)
Sport/GSR
Baseball – 90
Men's Basketball – 91
Women's Basketball – 89
Men's Cross Country – 100
Women's Cross Country/Track & Field – 92
Football – 90
Men's Golf – 100
Women's Golf – 100
Rifle – 100
Women's Soccer – 96
Softball – 100
Women's Tennis - 100
Women's Volleyball - 100
Six-year data for academic cohort that enrolled in 2017; through August of 2023
Follow the Racers on X (@MSURacers), Instagram (@RacersAthletics) and Facebook to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Murray State Athletics.
The Racers' overall score is the highest in the Missouri Valley Conference among the league's public schools and ranks fourth overall. Additionally, these seven programs achieved a GSR score of 100 percent: Men's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Women's Golf, Rifle, Softball, Tennis and Volleyball.
"We are extremely proud of each of our more than 430 student-athletes and are grateful for the coaches and academic staff who are prioritizing success in the classroom," Director of Athletics Nico Yantko said. "We continue to be intentional by investing in championship resources for each of our sport programs such as Alston Academic Incentive money so our teams can recruit top talent and maintain the academic success we have experienced. We are fortunate to have investors who believe in the holistic success and experience of our student-athletes, and we cannot thank them enough for believing in them and for believing in our overall vision for excellence."
Since the Fall of 2022 and the inception of the Dennis Jackson Leadership Program, Murray State has excelled in the classroom, extending its streak of semesters with a 3.0 or better departmental GPA to 40 consecutive semesters. The Spring 2024 GPA of 3.34 marked the highest GPA in school history and was complimented by all Racer sport programs notching a 3.0 GPA or higher.
GSR is a gauge of every team's graduation rate within a six-year period of a student-athlete's enrollment. The latest GSR figures examined the student-athlete cohort that originally enrolled in 2017 and would need to have graduated by August of 2023 to count as a graduate.
The GSR formula, intended to be a complete and accurate look at student-athlete success, removes from the rate student-athletes who leave school while academically eligible and includes student-athletes who transfer to a school after initially enrolling elsewhere. The GSR also allows for a deeper understanding of graduation success in individual sports than the federal metric, which has broader groupings.
2023-24 Murray State Graduation Success Rate (by Sport)
Overall Department GSR – 94 (School Record)
Sport/GSR
Baseball – 90
Men's Basketball – 91
Women's Basketball – 89
Men's Cross Country – 100
Women's Cross Country/Track & Field – 92
Football – 90
Men's Golf – 100
Women's Golf – 100
Rifle – 100
Women's Soccer – 96
Softball – 100
Women's Tennis - 100
Women's Volleyball - 100
Six-year data for academic cohort that enrolled in 2017; through August of 2023
Follow the Racers on X (@MSURacers), Instagram (@RacersAthletics) and Facebook to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Murray State Athletics.
Head Coach Jody Wright | Racer Football | 11/24/25 Press Conference
Monday, November 24
MSU VS UAB Racer Basketball Highlights
Sunday, November 23
Head Coach Rechelle Turner | Racer Basketball | Post Game Press Conference 11/22/25
Sunday, November 23
Keslyn Secrist & Haven Ford | Racer Basketball | Post Game Press Conference 11/22/25
Sunday, November 23







