Murray State University Athletics
From The Stables - Notes From the Desk of Director of Athletics Nico Yantko
4/2/2024 4:00:00 PM | General
Racer Nation,
I hope that you experienced a great start to 2024 and enjoying the spring weather that is beginning to make its way through Murray and Calloway County. I know that we cannot wait to get back out to the lake in the coming months!
We are a little over 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, a new wave of facility projects and more.
NIL UPDATE
On March 12, I sent a letter to our investors, alumni, and fans in regard to Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) and its impact on not just Murray State, but on all of intercollegiate athletics. In this letter, I laid out the most recent ruling from the federal court on the state of NIL and a vision for how all of Racer Nation can get involved to help the Racers continue to find success.
Murray State continues to position itself as an industry leader in NIL, whether it is through our partnership with The Brandr Group and leading the nation in sales or through our transparent approach with our investor base, and we will continue to lead the way as this landscape continues to change.
TO READ THE FULL LETTER, CLICK HERE.
2⃣0⃣2⃣4⃣ Murray State Athletics NIL Update from Director of Athletics @NicoYantko
— Murray State Racers Athletics (@MSURacers) March 12, 2024
🔗: https://t.co/liTPdnZ5V2#GoRacers🏇 pic.twitter.com/UO5GJqRKxv
FUNDRAISING/REVENUE SUCCESS
We have experienced a tremendous amount of growth in the fundraising space since the start of the 2024 calendar year, and we could not have done it without YOU, our generous investors. Over the last few months, we are beyond excited to announce that we have received FIVE seven-figure gifts, a record for the department.
One of these charitable investments came from Swift & Staley and our Chair of the Murray State Board of Regents Leon Owens, a $1.5 million commitment that stands as the largest-ever single investment to MSU Athletics in department history. We are so thankful for Regent Owens and everything that he does for our department and for Murray State on a daily basis.
While we are extremely grateful for these major gifts, we cannot thank every one of our many investors enough for giving to Racer Athletics, whether it be through The Stables level or above. Every dollar counts, and with your support, we will continue to make a meaningful progress for our student-athletes and coaches.
FACILITY ENHANCEMENTS/RENOVATIONS
We have continued to make major strides in updating and enhancing our facilities all around the department's footprint. Since our last letter, we have announced two major updates that will have a huge impact on our 400 student-athletes.
In January, we announced that we will begin a significant renovation to the Roy Stewart Stadium Weight Room that is being made possible thanks to a $1.25 million investment by Tommy and Sandy Draffen, securing the naming rights for the Draffen Family Performance Center. This project will include new, state-of-the-art weight equipment and machines, including new racks, plates, dumbbells, benches and more, and new branding.
We have also announced a renovation to the men's basketball locker room space, which has already begun with new carpet being installed, and have recently announced new upgrades and enhancements to the football locker room that are also currently underway.
Since returning to Murray State, we have invested several million dollars into our facilities and will continue to prioritize updating these spaces to enhance the student-athlete experience and to recruit and retain elite, talented future Racers.
ACADEMIC/COMMUNITY SERVICE UPDATE
We are thrilled to once again share that our student-athletes had an incredible semester in the classroom and extended the streak of maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA to 39-straight semesters! We are so proud of our student-athletes and staff that were able to make this tremendous accomplishment possible once again.
3⃣9⃣ 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝟯.𝟬 𝗚𝗣𝗔
— Murray State Racers Athletics (@MSURacers) January 24, 2024
2⃣𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗚𝗣𝗔 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
🔗: https://t.co/JrnzXEKKvX#GoRacers🏇 pic.twitter.com/VLLVkTKmLt
I am also extremely pleased to announce that for the FIRST TIME IN SCHOOL HISTORY, the Racers have eclipsed 1,000 hours of community service. Murray, Calloway County and the surrounding communities throughout the region mean so much to us, and we are committed to finishing this semester strong.
👏 Murray State Athletics sets new community service record, surpassing 1⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣ hours of service in the MKY and surrounding areas!
— Murray State Racers Athletics (@MSURacers) April 2, 2024
🔗: https://t.co/EeFnUUxZ68#GoRacers🏇 pic.twitter.com/6A24qApf4d
MURRAY STATE FOOTBALL
Our football program, led by head coach Jody Wright, has been hard at work over the last month during spring practices and wrapped up the spring season last night with our annual Spring Game. It was so great to see the wonderful support from all of Racer Nation!
In February, we announced several new signees to our football program, including the two highest-ranked signees in program history according to 247Sports.com. The 2023 class is rated as the second-best in the Missouri Valley Football Conference behind North Dakota State and is the 14th-best class in all of FCS. We cannot wait to see how Coach Wright and his staff will continue to grow this roster over the coming months!
Earlier this week, we sent out communication on new season ticket sales and our game themes ahead of our 100th year celebration. We have a lot of great things planned, so be sure and RENEW your tickets today or PURCHASE new season tickets today!
MURRAY STATE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
I do want to extend a special congratulations to our head women's basketball coach, Rechelle Turner, and the entire women's basketball program on a successful season that resulted in being selected to participate in the WNIT for just the fourth time in program history. This is a tremendous accomplishment after securing the program's second 20-win season in three years.
This year, we were able to move to a free attendance model for our home games thanks to our friends at CFSB. As a result, we saw a 41% INCREASE in attendance over the last year. We cannot thank all of our fans and investors enough for their support and cannot wait to continue and grow attendance again next season.
I would also be remissed if I did not give a special congratulations to Katelyn Young, who became the program's all-time leading scorer and eclipsed the 1,000-rebound mark. In the process, she joined Popeye Jones as the ONLY Racers in school history to have more than 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. We are so proud of Katelyn and are so grateful for everything she has done for Murray State!
SPRING SPORTS UPDATE
As I wrap up, I wanted to give a brief shout out to our spring programs that are nearing the final months of their seasons. Our baseball program has been playing at an extremely high level and is currently ranked No. 18 in the Mid-Major Poll, while softball has picked up some impressive wins to begin its conference slate. Track & Field had a strong showing the MVC Championships, taking home second-place in an extremely competitive meet.
As we get closer to the end of the spring semester, there is still plenty to come. We are committed to finishing out the year strong and cannot wait to update you again soon on what is to come!
Go Racers
Nico Yantko
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