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74-400: Primary source: The Ohio Valley Conference can trace its roots to 1941 when Murray State athletic director Roy Stewart, Eastern Kentucky athletic director Charles "Turkey" Hughes, and Western Kentucky public relations director Kelly Thompson first formulated the idea of establishing a regional athletics conference. The plan was put on hold due to World War II, but it was resurrected after

148-511: A Hilltopper victory on October 24, 1931. In 1939, both institutions strengthened the rivalry by scheduling the match up as the final game of their regular seasons. This tradition continued, with only four interruptions, for the next 46 years. In 1948 both schools joined to form the Ohio Valley Conference, where Murray won the first championship in football. The football rivalry was cemented as an annual trophy game in 1978 known as

222-439: A campus-wide wireless network. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The university features more than 100 undergraduate degrees and 60 graduate degrees, including graduate certificates, master's degrees, and doctorates, through both traditional and online courses. Students attend classes in one of the university's three new colleges and a law school: The student life at UA Little Rock

296-518: A row as well. In 2015 the Racers went 10–0 in conference play and also won the tournament beating Southeast Missouri 1–0 in the OVC Tournament championship. In 2017 the Racers won the regular season title and the OVC Tournament title as well. In the 2019 season they scored the most goals ever scored in a season (27) and the single season assist, single season goals, and single season points record

370-546: A steppingstone to major-college coaching success. Five former Murray State coaches have gone on to head coaching positions at BCS schools. In addition to the success of former Racer football coaches, former players have also gone on to achieve major successes. Former Racer quarterback Justin Fuente was named head football coach of the Memphis Tigers in 2011. As a player, Fuente was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of

444-625: A student-run newspaper, and fraternity and sorority life. The proximity of the UA Little Rock campus to downtown Little Rock enables students to take advantage of a wide array of recreational, entertainment, educational, internship, and employment opportunities that are not available anywhere else in Arkansas. UA Little Rock provides a variety of on-campus living options for students ranging from traditional resident rooms to multiple-bedroom apartments. The university has four residence halls on

518-540: A sufficient number of teachers to support the growing demand in the state. Located only 120 miles away from one another, and both in the western portion of the state, Murray State and Western Kentucky quickly became known as sister institutions as well as fierce competitors. In 1941, prior to a SIAA championship game between the Racers and Hilltoppers, Murray State President James H. Richmond remarked, "We are always happy when we can defeat our chief rival and greatest friend." The football rivalry with Western Kentucky began with

592-618: Is a public research university in Little Rock, Arkansas . Established as Little Rock Junior College by the Little Rock School District in 1927, the institution became a private four-year university under the name Little Rock University in 1957. It returned to public status in 1969 when it merged with the University of Arkansas System under its present name. The former campus of Little Rock Junior College

666-402: Is a list of the champions since 2010. For the complete history, see List of Ohio Valley Conference football champions . This is a list of the champions since 2010. For the complete men's history, see List of Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball champions . This is a list of the champions since 2010. This is a list of the champions since 2010. Men's soccer was first sponsored by

740-443: Is led by head coach Kara Amundson, assistant Ashley Gilland, and graduate assistant Zach Parsons. Coach Amundson is entering her 10th season as head coach in the 2022 season and served as an assistant at Northern Illinois for two seasons, while coaching two all-MAC and academic all-conference selections. Coach Gilland is also entering her 10th season in 2022 and spent two years at Northern Iowa before Murray State. Coach Gilland serves as

814-773: Is now (2019) the campus of Philander Smith University . At 250 acres (100 ha), the UA Little Rock campus encompasses more than 56 buildings, including the Center for Nanotechnology Integrative Sciences, the Emerging Analytics Center, the Sequoyah Research Center, and the Ottenheimer Library Additionally, UA Little Rock houses special learning facilities that include a learning resource center, art galleries, KUAR public radio station, University Television, and

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888-647: Is typical of public universities in the United States. It is characterized by student-run organizations and affiliation groups that support social, academic, athletic, and religious activities and interests. Some of the services offered by the UA Little Rock Office of Campus Life are intramural sports and fitness programs, diversity programs, leadership development, peer tutoring, student government association, student support programs including groups for non-traditional and first-generation students,

962-580: The 1992 NBA draft . He's also served as an NBA assistant coach, most recently with the Indiana Pacers . James Singleton joined Coach Tevester Anderson's team and instantly became one of the top players in the Ohio Valley Conference from 2001 to 2003. Singleton was a dominant force for the Racers, earning two-time All-OVC selection with 811 points (13.5ppg) and 632 rebounds (10.5) in 60 games. As of 2023, his 632 rebounds rank first all-time at MSU among two-year players, and his 811 points rank 12th. He led

1036-578: The AIAW began sponsoring national championships for women, but seven years before the NCAA was ready to move into the field. Since 2009, the OVC has been led by Commissioner Beth DeBauche, one of only six female commissioners for the thirty-two Division I conferences. Athletic rivalries, really close colleges and especially when competitors are in relatively close proximity, can generate problems with fan behavior, and

1110-725: The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference or Southwestern Athletic Conference . That distinction changed when both Hampton University and North Carolina A&T State University joined the Big South Conference in 2018 and 2021, respectively; both schools have since joined the Coastal Athletic Association . The OVC has also been a leader in advancement of sports opportunities for women. The conference began adding championship competitions for women in 1977 several years after

1184-552: The Missouri Valley Conference on July 1, 2022. Murray State is known for its men's basketball program, which has won 28 Ohio Valley Conference regular season championships, 18 OVC tournament championship, and made 18 appearances in the NCAA tournament, most recently in 2022 . The tournament appearances included one win in 1988 the Racers defeated North Carolina State in the first round but lost to Kansas in

1258-764: The Summit League before joining the OVC in 2024. In August 2012, the OVC announced that it had launched the OVC Digital Network as a replacement for and improvement over the conference's former efforts to provide streaming video coverage of many athletic events that had been in place since 2006. This website carried live, student-produced coverage of most conference games and some non-conference games in baseball, men's and women's basketball, football, soccer, softball, and volleyball as well as some coaches' shows, special presentations, and archived game-casts available for later viewing. In its first two years,

1332-854: The University of Arkansas at Little Rock , athletically known as Little Rock, and the University of Southern Indiana , which started a transition from NCAA Division II , plus a new football-sponsoring member in Lindenwood University , also transitioning from D-II. According to a report from Matt Brown of the Extra Points college sports blog, the OVC expected to lose Murray State, and was considering multiple expansion candidates, with Southern Indiana among them. Other schools named by Brown's sources as possible candidates were FCS programs Arkansas–Pine Bluff and Western Illinois , plus potential Division II upgraders Grand Valley State , Hillsdale , and Lincoln Memorial . On February 22, 2022,

1406-580: The 1925–1926 season under head coach Carlisle Cutchin . Murray State finished 9–5 in their inaugural season, with the first game being a 31–14 loss to Will Mayfield College . From 1925 to 1941 Cutchin went on to lead the basketball team to a 296–96 record and three appearances in the NAIA men's basketball tournament, where the Thoroughbreds finished third in 1938 and second in 1941. Current North Carolina State head basketball coach Mark Gottfried coached

1480-558: The 1949 Tangerine Bowl. This was only the third installment of the Tangerine bowl, which is now known as the Citrus Bowl . The Racers played to a 21–21 tie against Sul Ross State University . The Racers were coached by Fred Faurot, who was the younger brother of legendary Missouri Tigers coach Don Faurot . 1948, 1950, 1951, 1979, 1986, 1995, 1996, 2002 1949 Tangerine Bowl Murray State baseball reached national prominence in

1554-554: The 1970s under coach Johnny Reagan . The Thoroughbreds won or shared 11 conference titles during his 36-year tenure (1958–1993). He also led Murray State to 27-straight winning seasons and its first two NCAA Division I Baseball Championship appearances, in 1975 and 1979. Murray State also reached the NCAA Regionals in 2003. Murray State's 1975 team finished the season with a 40–9 record, was ranked No. 23 in Division I and led

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1628-450: The 2012–13 school year, the twelve member schools were split into two divisions for those sports where all schools competed. In the 2014–15 season, women's sports with twelve teams returned to a single league table, while continuing to play a divisional schedule. Men's basketball moved to an 18-game schedule in 2017–18, and they continued to play home-and-home versus the former divisional rivals, and they play home-and-home versus two teams from

1702-642: The 2021–22 school year. Football-sponsoring Austin Peay left for the ASUN, which ultimately launched its own football league in 2022. Non-football Belmont left for the Missouri Valley Conference . Another football school, founding member Murray State, left for the MVC. When announcing its move to the MVC, Murray State announced that it was seeking membership in the football-only Missouri Valley Football Conference , and also announced that it would continue to house its rifle team in

1776-1032: The 2022–23 academic year. The Racers previously competed in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) from 1948–49 to 2021–22; and in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC; now currently known as the River States Conference (RSC) since the 2016–17 school year) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1933–34 to 1947–48. Murray State competes in 15 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football and golf; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include rifle. Murray State men's athletics began in 1925–26,

1850-645: The Battle for the Red Belt. The annual meetings between the two teams ended in 2000, but the Battle for the Red Belt is still played on in intermittent basis. The last game was played in 2008 when a record crowd of 22,297 in Bowling Green watched the Hilltoppers beat the Racers 50-9 and maintain possession of the Red Belt. The Racers and Hilltoppers have met 67 times in football, with Western Kentucky leading

1924-673: The Hilltopper coaching staff of poor sportsmanship and accused Western Kentucky of enjoying an unfair home-court advantage because of "loose officiating". Following a February 1956 victory by the Racers, the winning score of 74-70 was found painted on the sidewalk in front of Henry Hardin Cherry Hall and paint was thrown on the statue of Henry Hardin Cherry on WKU's campus. University of Arkansas at Little Rock The University of Arkansas at Little Rock ( UA Little Rock , UALR )

1998-550: The Incarnate Word , and Liberty University . Chicago State was also announced as an incoming men's and women's golf associate on that day. Chicago State's OVC teams left the conference at the end of the 2023–24 school year when the university joined the Northeast Conference , which sponsors all sports that CSU housed in the OVC. On May 12, 2023, it was announced that Western Illinois University would join

2072-540: The Jack Stephens Center. UA Little Rock offers the following sports: Two Little Rock teams that do not compete in the Sun Belt are the women's swimming and diving team ( Missouri Valley Conference ) and wrestling ( Pac-12 Conference ), neither of which the Sun Belt sponsors. Wrestling is the school's newest sport, starting in 2019, and is the first Division I program in Arkansas. Little Rock will move to

2146-810: The Marines during World War II. Fulks scored 621 points in 47 games during his Murray State career, a 13.2 average in an era when teams averaged less than 50 points a game. His fame grew to greater heights as a professional, becoming one of the NBA's early stars as a scoring champ with the Philadelphia Warriors . He was named to the NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971 and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. While at Murray State, Jones scored 2,057 points which still ranks fourth all time for

2220-461: The Murray State baseball team had just purchased new uniforms and equipment bags with the Thoroughbreds logo on it, so the team requested and received a one-year extension before adopting the new nickname. Alumni and fans admired the team for keeping the original nickname, so the baseball team remained known as the Thoroughbreds until 2014. In May 2014, athletic director Allen Ward announced that

2294-525: The NBA's Los Angeles Clippers (2005–07), Dallas Mavericks (2008–10), and Washington Wizards (2012). He also had successful basketball stints in China, South Korea, and Italy among other places. Canaan, Morant, and Payne are current NBA players, with Payne Murray State's first NBA first round draft selection, picked 14th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2016 NBA draft . Morant

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2368-558: The NCAA level. Murray State formed a partnership with the city of Murray in which the softball program would have use of a field at the city park in exchange for significant upgrades to the facility that would remain the property of the city parks. The Racer softball team played its first intercollegiate game on February 26, 2010, against SIU Edwardsville at the Ole Miss Classic in Oxford, Mississippi . Murray State Softball

2442-607: The OVC and the Horizon League jointly announced that they would merge their men's tennis leagues under the Horizon banner, effective immediately. All five OVC members that sponsored men's tennis became Horizon affiliates in that sport. On March 28, 2023, the OVC announced it was adding men's soccer as its 19th championship sport. The four OVC members sponsoring the sport in other conferences were joined by Chicago State University , Houston Christian University , University of

2516-505: The OVC from the Summit League in most non-football sports beginning for the 2023 season. Western Illinois football, which was then a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference , played the 2023 season in that league before joining the university's other sports in the OVC for the 2024 season. Western later announced its men's soccer team would also play the 2023 season in its former all-sports home of

2590-637: The OVC in 2023. This is a list of champions since 2010. Murray State Racers The Murray State Racers are the athletic teams that represent Murray State University (MSU), located in Murray, Kentucky , United States , in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks (for football, the Football Championship Subdivision ), primarily competing in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) since

2664-409: The OVC in back-to-back seasons in rebound average, a feat no other Racer has achieved since. Singleton also set the program record for the best 3-point percentage in a single game by making 8-of-8 from beyond the arch, breaking the Ohio Valley Conference record previously held by UT Martin's Okechi Egbe of 7-of-7. His professional basketball career spanned 14 years from 2003 to 2017, including stints with

2738-739: The OVC to the MVC in 2022, are both about two hours' drive away. The University of Evansville , also an established MVC member, is not much farther away than Belmont or SIU. The Murray State basketball program has become a stepping stone to major-college coaching success in recent years. Four of the last five Murray State coaches have gone on to head coaching positions at major conference schools. 1951, 1964, 1968, 1969, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 1951, 1964, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2018, 2019, 2022 The Murray State football program first competed on

2812-648: The OVC was a pioneer in racial desegregation, with Morehead State signing the conference's first Black athlete, Marshall Banks, in 1958. The rest of the OVC soon followed in Morehead State's wake. From 1986 to 2018, the OVC was unique among NCAA Division I conferences in that it included one historically Black university , Tennessee State University , in a conference that otherwise consists of institutions that are not traditionally Black. During this period, every other HBCU in NCAA Division I belonged to either

2886-573: The OVC. In a separate statement, Murray State's president indicated that the football team would remain in the OVC in the 2022 season, ensuring that the OVC would retain its automatic bid to the FCS playoffs in that season and giving the league more time to add new football members. Murray State would eventually be accepted by the MVFC effective in 2023. Also in July 2022, the OVC added two non-football members in

2960-422: The Ohio Valley Conference in 1982. The Murray State-Western Kentucky basketball rivalry has been every bit as bitter as the football rivalry. During the 1954–55 season, the teams met four times in a series of contests that also included severe fouls on the court, ejected players, punches thrown by fans in the stands, and even a fainting cheerleader. During the next season, Racers coach Rex Alexander publicly accused

3034-755: The Racers to three Ohio Valley Conference Championships, all three years he coached there, the only OVC coach to accomplish such a mark. The Murray State basketball program has been recognized as one of the top 30 basketball programs in modern history by ESPN. The Racers are the highest true mid-major team in ESPN's rankings. The most well-known players in Racer history are Joe Fulks , Popeye Jones , James Singleton , Isaiah Canaan , Cameron Payne , and Ja Morant . Fulks starred for two seasons at Murray State (1941–42 and 1942–43), twice earning All-Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors, before leaving school to join

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3108-519: The Racers. He is also Murray State's all-time leader in rebounds with 1,374, and led the nation in that category in the 1990–91 season. Jones is the only player in MSU history to record more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Jones helped lead the Racers to OVC championships in 1991 and 1992. He went on to play 11 seasons in the NBA after being drafted in the second round by the Houston Rockets in

3182-455: The Year in 1999. As a senior in 1999, Fuente set school season records for passing yards (3,498), attempts (400), completions (240) and touchdowns (27). Fuente still holds the MSU record for most 300-yard passing games with 10. He was named head coach at Virginia Tech in 2016, succeeding former Racer head coach Frank Beamer. The Racers have appeared in only one bowl game, when they were invited to

3256-405: The baseball team which continued to be known as the Thoroughbreds or "Breds" until 2014. The women's teams were known as Lady Racers until "Lady" was officially dropped in 2007. A charter member of the Ohio Valley Conference , Murray State University sponsors five men's, nine women's and one co-ed teams in NCAA sanctioned sports. On January 7, 2022, it was announced that Murray State would join

3330-502: The baseball team would join the rest of the Murray State athletic teams and be identified as the Racers. Ward cited the need for the baseball program to enjoy the same brand identity and benefits that are afforded to the rest of the teams that identify as Racers. The Murray State Rifle program has enjoyed a long history of success since it was established in the 1956–57 season. The program has produced three team national championships in 1978 ( NRA ), 1985 ( NCAA ), and 1987 (NCAA). The team

3404-444: The conclusion of the war. In 1948, the three schools joined with Louisville , Morehead State , and Evansville to form the Ohio Valley Conference. While many collegiate conferences are struggling today with the question of whether their policies and rules should be determined by the athletic departments or by the institutional heads, from the very beginning, the OVC has been run by the presidents of its member schools. Historically,

3478-573: The conference announced its intent to combine its football membership with the Big South Conference beginning in 2023 and operate as the Big South–OVC Football Association . The alliance follows the model that the ASUN and Western Athletic Conference used in 2021 and 2022 before merging their football leagues in 2023 as the United Athletic Conference . Shortly after the 2022 membership changes took effect,

3552-494: The conference leadership struggled with controlling the issue for many years. When the national debate on the problem reached its apex in the mid-1990s, the OVC unveiled the national first of its kind "Sportsmanship Statement" in 1995, stating the conference's policy on, "... principles of fair play, ethical conduct and respect for one's opponent." Since then, the OVC has also introduced individual, team (for each sport), and institutional sportsmanship awards. Founded by six schools,

3626-634: The eastern side of the campus and the University Village Apartment Complex on the southern side of campus. Six learning communities focusing on criminal justice, arts and culture, majors and careers, future business innovators, nursing careers, and STEM are available to students. UA Little Rock's 14 athletic teams are known as the Little Rock Trojans, with all teams participating in the Ohio Valley Conference . Little Rock's main athletic offices are located in

3700-607: The expansions of 2007 and 2011 brought the Ohio Valley Conference membership to twelve schools, the most in its history. The OVC dropped to 10 members after the 2020–21 school year, when founding member Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State left for the Atlantic Sun Conference (then branded as the ASUN Conference; "ASUN" is still the official abbreviation). At that time, the OVC was searching for teams to replace both. The OVC lost three more members after

3774-546: The first in OVC history to win the 100m event in four consecutive seasons. The track team is coached by Adam Kiesler. Kiesler has been the head coach since 2016. The Men's Tennis program began play 1954 and won 19 Ohio Valley Conference championships during its existence. The team captured 10 OVC titles in a row during the 1980s under coach Bennie Purcell . Men's Tennis was eliminated as a university sponsored NCAA level sport in May 2016 in response to state budget cuts. Elimination of

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3848-475: The game clinching shots to defeat the No. 14 seeded Racers 69–65. The Racers won their first-round game in the 2010 NCAA tournament in dramatic fashion, defeating fourth-seeded Vanderbilt 66–65 on a buzzer beating jump shot by senior Danero Thomas. This was the first time that any Ohio Valley Conference team had advanced to the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament since Middle Tennessee State advanced in 1989. One of

3922-494: The gridiron in 1924. The first game was a 0–0 tie against Union University . The Racers have had 45 winning seasons. Murray State has produced 33 All-American selections with 14 of them earning First Team All-American honors. Murray State's largest margin of victory over another Division I program came in 1932 when the Racers defeated the Louisville Cardinals by a score of 105–0. The Racers modern-day scoring record

3996-470: The hitting and outfield coach. Murray State competes only in women's track and field. Historically, the track and field program included both men and women; however, in 2004 the men's program was reduced to a non-scholarship program. In October 2006, athletic director Allen Ward announced that the non-scholarship men's track and field program was being eliminated, effective immediately. Murray State cited budgetary and Title IX concerns as reasons for eliminating

4070-419: The men's tennis program was expected to save the athletic program roughly $ 165,000. The Murray State Women's soccer team joined the Ohio Valley Conference in 2000. Since then the team has captured four regular season championships and three tournament champions. In 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 the Racers were back to back to back to back champions. They consecutively received freshman of the year for two years in

4144-473: The men's track and field program. The men's team had been exceptionally successful in competition, producing ten Olympic athletes, eleven instances of OVC Men's Athlete of the Year honors, and 40 instances of NCAA Men's All-America honors. One of the team's final members was Wesley Korir , who transferred to Louisville to finish his college career and went on to win the 2012 Boston Marathon . The program has produced successful athletes. In 2012, Alexis Love,

4218-478: The more famous tournament games in the program's history was their first-round matchup against #1 seeded Michigan State in 1990, in which they took to overtime before finally succumbing to the Spartans 75–71, making them one of the closest #16 teams to defeating a #1 seed since the 64-team format came to be in 1985 until it was finally done by UMBC in 2018 . The Murray State basketball program first competed in

4292-477: The nation in batting average (.332). The 1979 team (27–10–2), ranked 17th in Division I, came one win from advancing to the College World Series . Murray State's 1973 (19th) and 1974 (28th) teams also finished the season ranked in the NCAA poll. Notable Murray State baseball alumni include Pat Jarvis , Jack Perconte , and Kirk Rueter . At the time the new athletics nickname was adopted in 1961,

4366-635: The network provided well over 600,000 viewings of streamed live video of more than 1,400 events. In the 2018–19 school year, the coverage previously carried on the OVC Digital Network was switched over to ESPN+ . Years listed in this table are calendar years. For schools that play only spring sports (such as beach volleyball) in the OVC, the calendar year of arrival precedes the first season of competition. Full members (all sports)  Full members (non-football)  Associate members (football-only)  Associate members (other)  Other Conference  Other Conference  Starting with

4440-463: The other division, with those opponents on a rotation that sets up different pairs from year-to-year. The OVC returned to a single-table format after Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State left in 2021. The Ohio Valley Conference currently offers championship competition in 19 NCAA sanctioned sports, with eight for men, 10 for women, and rifle for men's, women's, and coed teams. Departing members are displayed in red. Departing members in red. This

4514-576: The rest of her time for Murray State soccer. She helped lead Murray State to three conference championships and two conference tournament championships. Withers had a degree in Physical Education in hopes of becoming a college coach. Shortly after Withers graduated from Murray State she became an assistant coach for Bard college in Annandale, New York. She was assistant coach at a Division 3 program for only one year in 2018. She helped coach

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4588-551: The rivalry game remains an annual event on each team's schedule. The two teams have met in basketball 148 times. For the remainder of the Racers' tenure in the OVC, their primary conference rival was Austin Peay State University . Murray State has three built-in regional rivals in its current home of the Missouri Valley Conference . Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU), already an MVC member, and Belmont University , which moved alongside Murray State from

4662-421: The school's third year, with the first women's team following in 1928–29. Originally, the teams were known as the Thoroughbreds, but over time, sports writers and editors found the name Thoroughbreds to be too cumbersome, so they often shortened it "T-Breds", "Breds", "Race Horses", and "Racers". "Racers" began to grow in popularity through the late 1950s, and it was adopted as the official nickname in 1961 except by

4736-542: The second round. In 2010, 22 years to the date of the 1988 win, the Racers beat the Vanderbilt Commodores and lost to the Butler Bulldogs in the second round. In the 2006 tournament, junior guard Trey Pearson missed a critical 3-point shot in the final seconds of the first-round game against No. 3 seeded defending champion North Carolina . UNC was fouled on the rebound and went to the line to sink

4810-406: The series 36–24–7. Murray State and Western Kentucky have met 148 times in basketball since 1932. The basketball rivalry is the oldest in the state of Kentucky. Murray State won the first meeting in 1932 by a score of 26–24 in a game played on the stage at Lovett Auditorium. Western Kentucky leads the overall series 95–53, but Murray State has won 10 of the last 19 games since Western Kentucky left

4884-404: The sport, and it has hosted the NCAA championships seven times. 1978, 1985, 1987 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 In May 2008, Murray State announced that it would add women's softball to its lineup of sponsored NCAA Division I teams. Softball would replace rowing, which would be immediately discontinued as a university sponsored sport. At

4958-667: The team to the record of 4-11-1 in her time of working there. Miyah Watford was the first American from Murray State to go overseas and play professional soccer. She played in Vestmanneyjar, Iceland in her first professional contract. Watford finished her senior campaign with 15 goals and 5 assists. She broke the single season goal record in her senior campaign and the single season points record. Which ended her career with 31 goals and 76 points in just three years. Finished her career with three regular season titles and 2 tournament titles. Historically, Murray State's biggest rival

5032-457: The time of the announcement, the active roster for the rowing team had less than 10 members. Adding softball would aid the university's Title IX compliance goals by adding additional opportunities for female athletes. Additionally, the sport of softball was seen as more identifiable than rowing in the university's service region. Prior to the announcement, Murray State was the only school in the Ohio Valley Conference that had not sponsored softball at

5106-655: Was Western Kentucky University , now of Conference USA . The Racers also have a well-known rivalry with Austin Peay State University , which was an in-conference matchup from Peay's arrival in the OVC in 1962 until both schools' 2022 departure from the OVC. In 1922, the Murray State Normal School was chartered as a state-supported teacher training institution, because the Western Kentucky State Normal School and Eastern Kentucky State Normal School could no longer produce

5180-469: Was broken. In 2018 Harriet Withers got the honor to get her jersey retired. Withers sets the record for most career goals ever scored by a racer soccer player. She also ended her career with 38 career goals and 15 career assists. She also was the OVC offensive player for 3 years in a row. Withers an Australian native came to Murray state in 2014 where she started 12 games out 20 in her freshman year. After her freshman year she started every single game during

5254-649: Was named the Female Track Athlete of the Year in the OVC and Athlete of the OVC Outdoor Championship. Love competed at the competed at the United States Track and Field Olympic Trials. She set a school record in the 60m and 200m during her indoor season. In 2019, Love was inducted into Murray State's Hall of Fame. Murray State's women track team won the 2019 OVC Outdoor Championship. Where athlete Tamdra Lawrence became

5328-475: Was runner up to the NCAA national championship in 1986 and 1988. In addition to national championship, Murray State rifle won 15 OVC team championships, seven individual NCAA champions, and produced six USA Olympic Team members. The current head coach is Alan Lollar. The Racers compete at the Pat Spurgin Rifle Range at Roy Stewart Stadium. The rifle range is one of the finest shooting venues in

5402-637: Was set on October 9, 2010, with a 72-59 homecoming victory over the Missouri State Bears . Murray State's football rivalries have historically been with the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers . The rivalry with the Hilltoppers began in 1931, and it later became an annual trophy game known as the Battle for the Red Belt. The Murray State football program has become

5476-511: Was the Racers' highest-ever draft selection, picked second overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2019 , and went on to be named the league's rookie of the year in 2020 and most improved player in 2022. Murray State's historic basketball rivalry is with nearby Western Kentucky . The two teams became archrivals during their time together in the Ohio Valley Conference. Although the schools no longer share their conference affiliation,

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