From The Stables - Notes From the Desk of Director of Athletics Nico Yantko

Racer Nation,

There is no better time to be in Murray, Kentucky, than March Madness, and I know I speak for all of Racer Nation when I say how excited we are for our women's basketball program to be playing in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 22, against Iowa in Norman, Oklahoma.

It has been a historic year, beginning with the team clinching the Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship before making the short trip to Evansville and defeating Bradley, Drake and Belmont to win the Credit Union 1 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball Tournament, clinching a spot in the Big Dance.

This historic run marks the team's first title as members of the MVC and their first title since the 2008-09 season, while the Racers will make their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since the 2007-08 season as a number 11 seed, the highest seed ever.

We are so proud of head coach Rechelle Turner, her staff and our student-athletes for these outstanding accomplishments. Coach Turner assembled a great staff and team, powered by record-breaker Katelyn Young, who had her jersey forever immortalized in the rafters on senior day, and so many others. They will forever be remembered as one of the best teams in program history.

This could not be done without the unwavering commitment of our president, Dr. Bob Jackson, our passionate Board of Regents led by board chair Leon Owens, and all of our campus partners, faculty and staff members and student body. The alignment from campus has never been stronger, and this win is a testament to their support.

We also want to thank all of Racer Nation for being with us every step of the way. We truly have the BEST FANS AND ALUMNI IN THE COUNTRY and are excited to celebrate this postseason with them and our entire community in Murray and Calloway County.

But we are NOT DONE YET!

Our administration has worked diligently over the last two years to be able to provide as many championship resources as possible.

One notable investment was in full Cost of Attendance and Alston academic incentive money to our student-athletes, which has played a key role in roster management and in recruiting. Additionally, our program was able to utilize NIL this year, one of the first programs in our league to do so.

With revenue share on the horizon as a result of the NCAA House Settlement, we are actively working on a plan to put our women's basketball program in the top of the MVC in this category, something that will set it apart from our competitors as we look to capitalize on the momentum built this season and continue to compete for and win championships.

Our team has also implemented additional NIL resources, including partnering with The BrandR Group and INFLCR, to provide personal brand resources to our student-athletes. The team has also been able to leverage programming through the Dennis Jackson Leadership Program, giving them access to financial literacy courses.

We have invested in additional staffing that led to us boasting the largest women's basketball staff in the MVC. This also came with increased compensation for Coach Turner and her staff, as well as additional bodies to help support recruiting needs and a full-time dedicated strength coach.

The staff is actively working on plans for next season's schedule, which includes us committing money towards scheduling for the program, including the ability for the team to play in its first-ever MTE. More information on that event will come out when available. With this will come the ability to continue and utilize charter flights.

We cannot thank Community Financial Services Bank (CFSB) enough for sponsoring the program, allowing us to move to a free attendance model for women's basketball that has led to significant increases in home attendance and recruiting.

From a brand exposure standpoint, the visibility of the program could not be stronger. Over the last three seasons, we have enhanced our promotional efforts of the program with new social media strategies, creative video and graphics, and on-campus branding/recruiting improvements.

The investments made in this program have never been higher, and we are excited to continue to raise the bar to continue our competitive success. We hope that you have the chance to tune in to the big game on Saturday (March 22), which will tip-off at 11 a.m. on ESPN. We are so proud of Coach Turner, her staff and the entire team, and cannot wait to watch them play.

Go Racers!

Nico Yantko Signature

Nico Yantko

Murray State University

From The Stables - Notes From the Desk of Director of Athletics Nico Yantko

Players Mentioned

Katelyn Young

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