Josh Embry
Sports Editor
jembry3@murraystate.edu
With a new school year comes a new year of Murray State athletics, so here is a recap of the past season and preview of every Murray State sport for the 2020-21 academic year.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many different scenarios that can happen for all college sports. Therefore, for the sake of clarity, the following is written as if all sports will begin and end at their normal times.
Men’s Basketball
Following a close loss at the hands of Belmont in the OVC Championship game, the Murray State men’s basketball team will look to get back to their championship winning ways this season. With seniors Darnell Cowart, Jaiveon Eaves and Anthony Smith graduating and Jason Holiday and Noah Kamba transferring, Head Coach Matt McMahon bolstered the roster with five new recruits for the upcoming season. Despite the roster turnover, some key players will be returning for 2020-21, such as guards Tevin Brown, DaQuan Smith and Chico Carter Jr. and forwards such as KJ Williams, Demond Robinson and Devin Gilmore. McMahon will look to guide the Racers to a fourth consecutive OVC Championship game appearance.
Women’s Basketball
Murray State women’s basketball Head Coach Rechelle Turner is heading into next season with a slew of fresh faces, with the 2020-21 recruiting class having seven recruits. This added depth will hopefully make life easier for the Racers, as depth issues were prevalent throughout the majority of the season and was a contributor in their first round loss in the OVC Tournament. The Racers had no seniors and only had four players transfer (Sadie Hill, Ashley Hunter, Lauren Jackson and Sarah Sutton). With the same core coming back of guards Macey Turley and Lex Mayes along with forwards Alexis Burpo, Maci Gibson and Laci Hawthorne, Turner hopes to send the Racers back to the OVC Tournament and hopefully make a deep run.
Football
The Murray State football team finished the 2019 season with a 4-8 record. Since the 2015 season, the Racers have a combined record of 19-37. However, new Head Coach Dean Hood will try to change that, as he was hired as the head football coach following the 2019 season. Hood was the special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach at the University of Kentucky and held that position from 2017 to 2019. Hood said he wants to change the culture at Murray State to a winning culture and believes the team has the chance to do that this season.
Volleyball
Murray State volleyball Head Coach David Schwepker is going into this season with high aspirations following a successful 19-11 season that ended at the hands of No. 2 ranked SEMO in the OVC Tournament. The 2020 squad has big shoes to fill with the graduation of standout Rachel Giustino, who secured many Murray State records as well as OVC records in her illustrious career. However, the Racers have key players returning as well, like seniors Ashley McBee and Becca Fernandez.
Baseball
Before the season was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Murray State men’s baseball team was off to one of its best seasons of the last few years with a 10-7 record. Senior Jordan Cozart led the team with 25 hits while senior Brock Anderson led the team with eight home runs. Head Coach Dan Skirka will look to carry the momentum they had from this partial season into next season in the hopes of making a deep run in the OVC Tournament.
Softball
The Murray State softball team was set to make its home series debut at Racer Field on March 13, but was not able to get on the field before the season was canceled. Before then, the Racers had compiled a 12-10 record and were looking to bounce back from a rough series where they went 1-4 against the likes of No. 14 ranked Oklahoma State University and No. 6 ranked University of Oklahoma. Head Coach Kara Amundson will go into her ninth season at the helm of the Racers with high hopes for 2021.
Rifle
The Murray State rifle team finished second in the OVC Rifle Championship and qualified for the NCAA Rifle Championship. Unfortunately, the NCAA Rifle Championship was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. One bright spot was Finland native Matias Kiuru, who joined the team following the new calendar year and helped propel the squad to finishing the season ranked sixth in the country. Head Coach Alan Lollar enters his 13th season as head coach and will look to guide the Racers to an NCAA Championship.
Women’s Soccer
Before being upset in the semifinals of the OVC Tournament against Belmont, the Murray State women’s soccer team finished the regular season 11-8 and finished with the second best record in the OVC (8-2). The Racers graduated five seniors, most notably standout forward Miyah Watford, who set the Murray State record for goals in a season. Head Coach Matt Lodge enters the 2020 season with hopes of securing an OVC Championship.
Men’s and Women’s Golf
Both the Murray State men’s and women’s golf teams played the majority of their respective tournaments before the season’s cancellation. Despite the cancellation, both squads found success on the green in the many tournaments they competed in. The men’s team had the most success in the Austin Peay Intercollegiate, where they placed third out of 11 teams. The women’s team had their best finish when they earned second place out of 11 universities in the Chris Bannister Classic. The men’s and women’s teams will look to carry their positive momentum into this upcoming season.
Women’s Tennis
Just like all spring sports, the Murray State women’s tennis team saw its season canceled prematurely. The Racers had compiled an 8-5 record prior to the season’s cancellation but had yet to compete in OVC play. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, there were bright spots in the season, especially with the play of Marit Kreugel, who went 11-2 in singles play and 11-0 in doubles. Although the future of seniors Claire Chang and twins Anja and Sara Loncarevic at Murray State remains uncertain, Head Coach Jorge Caetano was able to recruit four new players for the 2020-21 season.
Men’s and Women’s Cross Country
Both the Murray State men’s and women’s cross country teams found success this past season and will look to build on that success going into this season. The men’s team placed sixth and the women’s team eighth in the OVC Cross Country Championships. Both squads qualified for the NCAA Southeast Regional, with the men’s team finishing 33rd and the women’s team 31st. The two squads will look to improve their play from last season in the fall.
Women’s Track and Field
While the Murray State women’s track and field was not able to compete in the OVC Outdoor Championships before the season’s cancellation, they were able to compete in the OVC Indoor Championships, where the team placed second. Head Coach Adam Kiesler will look to carry over success into this season.
