Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Nominees for tomorrow night's RCA Awards officially announced
4/26/2023 6:00:00 PM | General
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee's finest student-athletes will be recognized during the 12th annual Raiders' Choice Awards at the MTSU Tucker Theatre tomorrow night and the nominees for 2022-23 are now official.
The awards show is set up like the ESPYs and recognizes the athletic and academic achievements of Blue Raider student-athletes during the 2022-23 school year. The blue carpet celebration begins at 6 p.m. with the awards presentation getting underway at 7 p.m.
Awards include three that are voted on by the fans: Play of the Year, Performance of the Year and Game/Event of the Year. Other categories include the Make a Difference Award, Male/Female Newcomer of the Year, Male/Female Breakout Performer of the Year, Male/Female Athlete of the Year, the Community Service Award, Highest Team GPA Ward and the True Blue Scholar President's Awards. Special recognition also will be given to All-American and conference champions.
The 2023 RCA's will be broadcast on Facebook.com/BlueRaiderAthletics, YouTube.com/GoBlueRaidersTV and TrueBlue TV.
Here are this year's nominees:
Female Newcomer of the Year
Adri Rhoda - volleyball
Savannah Wheeler – basketball
Agnes Chepkurui – cross country
Emma Pettersen – soccer
Sana Garakani – tennis
Shelby Echols – softball
Male Newcomer of the Year
Jakobe Thomas – football
Ondrej Horak – tennis
Jestin Porter – men's basketball
Jeremiah Boyd – baseball
Markus Varjun – golf
Play of the Year (fan vote)
Zaylin Wood – Football
In MTSU's upset win over No. 25 Miami, Wood from his defensive end position batted a pass at the line of scrimmage, then plucked it out of the air and raced 15 yards for a touchdown. That play set the tone for a 24-10 halftime advantage for the Blue Raiders.
Chase Cunningham to DJ England-Chisolm at Miami – Football
After Miami pulled to within 31-17 in the third quarter, the Hurricanes had a 4th down pass play at the MTSU 1-yard line that Teldrick Ross broke up. The Blue Raiders took over at the 2-yard line and on the first play, Chase Cunningham checked out of the called play and hit a streaking DJ England-Chisolm down the left sideline for a 98-yard touchdown pass. That pass equaled the longest in school history and virtually thwarted any hopes of a Miami comeback.
Jakobe Thomas – Football
With MTSU trailing late in the fourth quarter at FIU, Jakobe Thomas picked off a pass with 2:50 left to play and returned it 28 yards for the winning touchdown. The victory secured win No. 7 and a guaranteed spot in postseason play.
MTSU Volleyball vs. WKU 9/24/22 3rd Set 12-12
On a 30-second rally that got a combined million views on social media platforms that saw even the ceiling get a piece of the ball to try to stop the Blue Raiders from getting a point, junior Megan Turner made an insane one handed dig out of bounds to help get the ball back over the net which ended with senior Kayla Henley blocking an all-American outside hitter from nationally ranked WKU.
Taijah Fraser – Soccer vs Austin Peay 9/04/22
Late in the first half, the speedy winger made a run into the top of the 18-yard box, where Lauren Spaanstra found the sprinting Fraser at the perfect position. The forward from Brampton, Canada flicked her foot for a first-time half volley, chipping the Governors' keeper and giving MTSU a 2-0 lead and Fraser her first career goal, one that would ultimately prove to be the deciding goal in Aston Rhoden's 200th career win.
Francisco Rocha – Tennis vs. Rice 2/10/23
Francisco Rocha's incredible save on a ball that floated just over Brostrom Poulsen's head gave the Blue Raiders number one pairing the momentum to take a 6-3 win to start off doubles play. Realizing that the shot was inbounds, Rocha sprinted hard over his left shoulder at a ball destined for the corner and twisted his body to forehand a ball while he was sliding to the ground. As the Portuguese native continued sliding into the corner netting, the ball landed just in bounds on the Rice side of the net, prompting a loud pop from the home fans and a look of disbelief on Rocha's face as he sat in the corner.
Kseniya Malashka – Women's Basketball vs. Louisiana Tech 2/25/23
Kseniya Malashka hit a shot with three seconds left to play at Louisiana Tech to give the Lady Raiders a 61-59 win. Malashka, who equaled her career-high with 27 points, also blocked the Bulldogs' game-tying attempt as time expired.
Alexis Whittington – Women's Basketball vs. UTEP 3/10/23
Just seconds after the Miners took the lead in the 4th Quarter of the Conference USA semifinals, Whittington found herself with the ball at the top of the key driving into the lane. The Murfreesboro native made a layup through the contact of the Miner defense, drawing a foul and retaking the lead. Her free throw would stretch the lead to two, a lead MTSU would not relinquish, punching their ticket to the Conference USA Championship.
Camryn Weston – Men's Basketball vs. Charlotte 3/9/23
Weston hit a step back 3-pointer in the final seconds of the Blue Raiders' Conference USA quarterfinal victory over Charlotte. His third made 3-pointer of the night gave MTSU a come-from-behind win to advance to the tournament semifinals.
Lilly-Sophie Schmidt – Women's Tennis vs. Austin Peay 1/22/23
Lilly-Sophie Schmidt's clinching match point was crucial in turning around the season for the Blue Raiders after losing their first two matches on the road. All eyes were on court No. 4 as the winner would clinch the match for either side. Schmidt lost the first two sets but fought back to win the third set tiebreak 7-6 (5). That match point helped the Blue Raiders win their first match of the season and catapulted them to win six straight home matches.
JT Mabry – Baseball vs. WKU 3/19/23
Tied with WKU 6-6 in the eighth inning of a Sunday series rubber match, JT Mabry singled to drive in the winning runs on a 2-2 count. The Blue Raiders held on to win 8-6 to win the home series and would go on to defeat WKU in five of six total games against their rivals.
Laura Mealer – Softball vs. FAU 4/2/2023
The Blue Raiders held a one-run lead over FAU, 2-1, going into the top of the seventh after an inside-the-park home run off the bat of Laura Mealer in the bottom of the sixth. It was Mealer's seventh home run of the season.
Michael Barnard – Men's Golf – Eagle putt at Mason Rudolph Championship
Michael Barnard finished off a three-round performance of 208 (-5) that gave him an eighth-place finish at the Mason Rudolph Championship by draining a long putt for eagle on the 18th hole. His tee shot ended up in the bunker, but Barnard placed an iron shot in the middle of the green before sinking the putt.
Elias King – MBB – 3-pointer vs. Florida Atlantic
King knocked down a corner three with under three minutes to play, stymying an FAU comeback attempt as the Blue Raiders knocked off the No. 25 Owls at the Murphy Center. King's three made it a 69-60 Blue Raider lead, and MTSU knocked down late free throws to hold on for the victory.
Performance of the Year (fan vote)
Quindarius Dunnigan - Football
Making his first collegiate start at defensive end against Colorado State on the road, Dunnigan recorded 3.5 TFLs including 2.5 sacks and a pass breakup to earn C-USA and TSWA Defensive Player of the Week honors. Both statistics were career highs for the sophomore.
Jordan Ferguson – Football
Ferguson was making plays on both sides of the ball on his way to earning Hawai'i Bowl MVP honors. The senior had five tackles, including a TFL, a pass breakup and an interception to lead a defense that forced five turnovers. On offense, Ferguson scored the team's first touchdown of the game when he hauled in an 8-yard touchdown pass to help close the gap on a 14-0 Aztec lead to start the game.
Zaylin Wood – Football
Wood had a career-best 2.0 sacks to go with 2.0 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and an interception he turned into a touchdown, (his first career score on defense) that gave MTSU a quick 10-0 lead just five minutes into the game at No. 25 Miami. Wood went on to earn the Walter Camp and the Bronco Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Chase Cunningham – Football
In a must win situation, QB Chase Cunningham shined on senior day by leading MTSU to a key win over FAU. Cunningham threw for a career-high 448 yards on 40 of 54 passing to go with five touchdowns. The 448 passing yards went down as the second-most in school history and the TD passes were also the second highest total in a single game.
Adri Rhoda (Freshman) – Volleyball
Freshman Adri Rhoda hit home a career-high 19 kills on a .378 attack percentage against an undefeated power-five team in Boston College in Queens, N.Y. Rhoda also notched four service aces, one being the match winner, and a career-high three block assists. The win marked the first time Middle Tennessee has beaten a Power-5 team since 2014 when the Blue Raiders upset Arkansas.
Abigail Kwarteng (Graduate student) – Track and Field
Kwarteng led the women to a 25th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, the first time the women's team had placed in the top-25 at the outdoor meet, and just the second time they've ever placed at the NCAA Championships. She closed out her one season of eligibility with the Blue Raiders with a runner-up finish in the women's high jump, becoming the first Blue Raider female to earn First Team All-American status in the high jump event.
Lauren Spaanstra (Junior) – Soccer
Spaanstra logged three assists against Austin Peay on Sept. 4. Her three assists went to three different goal scorers, as the Blue Raiders took a lead at the 10-minute mark and never looked back in a 3-1 win. The win was also Aston Rhoden's 200th career victory at MTSU.
Savannah Wheeler (Junior) – Women's Basketball
Savannah Wheeler played her best game in a Lady Raider uniform at home against WKU, scoring a season-high 37 points on 11-of-16 shooting, while making 13-of-15 free throw attempts as MTSU scored a season-high 94 points. The junior guard drew 12 fouls from the Lady Toppers, while dishing out four assists and nabbing a team-high two steals. Wheeler tied the most points by a Conference USA player in a game this season and set her own career high in a C-USA game.
Camryn Weston (Junior) – Men's Basketball
Weston scored 22 points – including the game-winning 3-pointer in the closing seconds – in the C-USA quarterfinals against Charlotte. The Albany, Ga., native was 8-for-13 from the floor, including a 3-for-5 mark from 3-point range, and 3-for-3 from the free throw line to go along with three rebounds, two steals and an assist. Weston's 22 points were the most by any Blue Raider on the year.
Owen Stamper (Junior) - Men's Golf
The junior from Scottsville, Ky., picked up his first career tournament victory at the Lake Las Vegas Intercollegiate from Feb. 27-March 1. Stamper shot a career-low 205 (-11) with rounds of 69-69-67 for his third top-two finish of the season. His 18 birdies were the most among the 96-player field.
Marcel Kamrowski (Freshman) – Men's Tennis
Kamrowski has clinched two of the biggest wins this season for the Blue Raiders. His first clinch was against No. 19 Duke, who was ranked as high as No. 12 this season, in the first round of the NCAA Indoor Nationals. Kamrowski battled Duke's Farris Khan for a 7-5, 7-6 (7) victory to give the Blue Raiders their first win over Duke in program history. The freshman tallied a second clinch at No. 19 Northwestern, who was also ranked as high as No. 12 this year. Kamrowski picked up a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win over Northwestern's Gleb Blekher. The win against Northwestern would be the first in program history as well.
Lilly-Sophie Schmidt (Junior) – Women's Tennis
Lilly-Sophie Schmidt had arguably one of the best performances on the tennis court this season against Bellarmine. The junior tallied a 6-1 doubles win on court No. 3. In singles, Schmidt was in a battle on court No. 4 where she lost the first set, 6-4, but bounced back to win the next 6-3, 6-0. Her victory would clinch the win for the Blue Raiders. It was her third straight match clinch as the Blue Raiders won their third straight to remain undefeated at home. The last time MTSU was undefeated at home was the 2014-15 season.
Kamryn Carcich (Junior) - Softball
Kamryn Carcich threw the first no-hitter for MTSU since 2018 and just the 13th in program history. In her debut outing in Murfreesboro, the Murray state transfer held Appalachian State to zero hits in a five-inning run-rule win, 10-0.
Jaden Hamm – Baseball 3/10/23
Jaden Hamm tossed a complete-game, one-hit shutout as the Blue Raiders knocked off Evansville 2-0. Hamm also had 11 strikeouts.
Game/Event of the Year (fan vote)
Football wins at No. 25 Miami
Middle Tennessee football took the ball away early and kept putting the ball in the endzone late, blasting past No. 25 Miami 45-31 at Hard Rock Stadium for the program's first-ever win against a team ranked in the Top 25. QB Chase Cunningham completed 16 of 25 passes for 408 yards and three touchdowns while WR DJ England-Chisolm hauled in two passes for 169 yards and two scores.
Football Hawai'i Bowl win over SDSU
Middle Tennessee football fought and clawed back into the game at the EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl, securing the win behind the clutch foot of Zeke Rankin, as the sophomore kicker's 37-yard field goal pushed MTSU to a 25-25 win over San Diego State at the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex. The win secured back-to-back bowl wins for MTSU for the first time in school history.
Volleyball win over undefeated Boston College
The Middle Tennessee volleyball team took on an undefeated Boston College squad for the first match of the Red Storm Invitational hosted by St. John's. The Blue Raiders went down in the first set but quickly bounced back and snapped Boston College's 10-match win streak to start the season in four sets. The win marked the first time Middle Tennessee has defeated a Power-5 team since 2014 when the Blue Raiders upset Arkansas. As a team, the Blue Raiders held the Eagles to a .115 hitting percentage. Senior Kayla Henley tied a career-high with 19 digs to lead the Blue Raiders in their win. Freshman Adri Rhoda hit home a career-high 19 kills on a .378 attack percentage. Boston College went on to win the NIVC in 2022.
Women's OTF team places 25th at 2022 NCAA Championships
Head Coach Keith Vroman led the women to a 25th-place finish at the meet, the first time the women's team had placed in the top-25 at the outdoor meet. Graduate student Abigail Kwarteng closed out her one season of eligibility with the Blue Raiders with a runner-up finish in the women's high jump, earning First Team All-American honors. Graduate student Esther Isa also earned a First Team All-American nod for her top-eight finish in the women's triple jump. Graduate student Eusila Chepkemei continued to show why she was the best coming out of the C-USA Championships, earning First Team All-American in the 1500 meter and All-American Honorable Mention in the 5000 meter.
Women's Basketball pounds No. 18 Louisville
The Middle Tennessee women's basketball program dominated the middle two quarters, trouncing No. 18 Louisville 39-18 in the middle 20 minutes of the game to romp to a 67-49 win in the Murphy Center.
The win marked the Lady Raiders' first win over a ranked opponent since December 28, 2011, when MTSU knocked off No. 6 Kentucky 70-58 at the Murphy Center. It's the 11th win in program history over a ranked team (fourth under head coach Rick Insell) and the sixth ranked win inside of the Murphy Center.
Savannah Wheeler led all scorers with 23 points, getting to the charity stripe 11 times while knocking down nine of her free throw attempts. She shot 50 percent from the floor while hauling in six rebounds and dishing out five assists. Courtney Whitson scored a double-double, scoring 16 points (including four three-pointers) while grabbing 10 rebounds.
Men's Basketball upends No. 25 FAU
Blue Raider men's basketball defeated No. 25 Florida Atlantic 74-70 on February 16 at the Murphy Center. The win was MTSU's first over a ranked opponent in the 50-year history of the Glass House and the Owls did not lose again until the Final Four.
The Blue Raiders led for 29 minutes and 30 seconds, overcoming an early 10-0 run by the Owls. MTSU forced 15 FAU turnovers while coughing the ball up just nine times.
The Blue Raiders (16-11, 9-7 C-USA) trailed by one point at halftime after withstanding a 7-0 run to end the half from the Owls (24-3, 14-2 C-USA). But coming out of the locker room to start the game's second 20 minutes, MTSU scored eight out of 20 points on the fast break in the half's opening nine minutes.
Camryn Weston's 16 points and seven rebounds were both team highs as four Blue Raiders scored in double figures and five recorded at least five rebounds.
Men's Tennis defeats No. 19 Duke
The Blue Raiders started the match off strong winning the doubles point. No. 26 Oskar Brostrom Poulsen and Francisco Rocha defeated No. 49 Michael Heller/Andrew Zhang 6-3 on court No. 1. Ondrej Horak and Marcel Kamrowski won on court No. 3 6-4 to claim the doubles point.
In singles, the Blue Devils would tie it up at one all with a win on court No. 1. Horak tallied a 6-4, 6-4 victory on court No. 4. Pavel Motl picked up a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win on court No. 6 to give MTSU a 3-1 lead. On court No. 3, Duke would gain a point back to cut the Blue Raider lead to 3-2. Kamrowski had ice in his veins as he clinched the win for the MTSU winning 7-5, 7-6 (7) on court No. 5. This win would be the first win against Duke in program history.
Women's Tennis defeats WKU
After being on the road, the Blue Raiders were back at the Adams Tennis Complex. MTSU fought back from losing the doubles point and the first singles match and tied the match at 2-2. Noelle Mauro won on court No. 4 6-3, 6-2. Sana Garakani took care of business on court No. 2 and came out with a 6-3, 6-2 victory. The Lady Toppers took a point on court No. 5 to give them a 3-2 lead. On court No. 3, Muskan Gupta tallied a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 win to tie the match at 3-3. All eyes were on court No. 1 as the reigning Conference USA Athlete of the Week, Love-Star Alexis, clinched the win for the Blue Raiders 7-6 (3), 7-5. This would be MTSU's first conference win of the season and continued their home win streak to seven matches. The last time the Blue Raiders were undefeated at home was during the 2014-15 season.
Baseball Clinches Series Sweep at WKU 4.8.23
Middle Tennessee jumped out to a 5-1 lead in Bowling Green, and James Sells had his third save in as many games as the Blue Raiders clinched a three-game series sweep over the Hilltoppers. With the 5-4 win, MTSU took their fifth against WKU in the six game season series. The win, as well as Thursday and Friday's wins got Sells Conference USA Pitcher of the Week.
Female Breakout Performer
Kayla Henley – volleyball
Hannah Suder – soccer
Love-Star Alexis – tennis
Amaya Harris – softball
Agnes Chepkurui – cross country
Male Breakout Performer
Tra Fluellen – football
Elias King – basketball
Markus Varjun – golf
Oskar Brostrom Poulsen – tennis
Briggs Rutter – baseball
Female Athlete of the Year
Kayla Henley – volleyball
Abigail Kwarteng – outdoor track
Caroline Manley – soccer
Taylor Edlin – golf
Savannah Wheeler – basketball
Muskan Gupta - tennis
Laura Mealer – softball
Male Athlete of the Year
Jordan Ferguson – football
Alaba Akintola – track
Owen Stamper – golf
Stijn Slump – tennis
JT Mabry – baseball
Female President's Award
Courtney Whitson – basketball
Catherine Caudill – golf
Caroline Manley – soccer
Muskan Gupta – tennis
Taylor Eisert – volleyball
Gretchen Mead – softball
Male President's Award
Francisco Rocha – tennis
Owen Stamper - golf
Eston Snider – baseball
Jordan Ferguson – football
The awards show is set up like the ESPYs and recognizes the athletic and academic achievements of Blue Raider student-athletes during the 2022-23 school year. The blue carpet celebration begins at 6 p.m. with the awards presentation getting underway at 7 p.m.
Awards include three that are voted on by the fans: Play of the Year, Performance of the Year and Game/Event of the Year. Other categories include the Make a Difference Award, Male/Female Newcomer of the Year, Male/Female Breakout Performer of the Year, Male/Female Athlete of the Year, the Community Service Award, Highest Team GPA Ward and the True Blue Scholar President's Awards. Special recognition also will be given to All-American and conference champions.
The 2023 RCA's will be broadcast on Facebook.com/BlueRaiderAthletics, YouTube.com/GoBlueRaidersTV and TrueBlue TV.
Here are this year's nominees:
Female Newcomer of the Year
Adri Rhoda - volleyball
Savannah Wheeler – basketball
Agnes Chepkurui – cross country
Emma Pettersen – soccer
Sana Garakani – tennis
Shelby Echols – softball
Male Newcomer of the Year
Jakobe Thomas – football
Ondrej Horak – tennis
Jestin Porter – men's basketball
Jeremiah Boyd – baseball
Markus Varjun – golf
Play of the Year (fan vote)
Zaylin Wood – Football
In MTSU's upset win over No. 25 Miami, Wood from his defensive end position batted a pass at the line of scrimmage, then plucked it out of the air and raced 15 yards for a touchdown. That play set the tone for a 24-10 halftime advantage for the Blue Raiders.
Chase Cunningham to DJ England-Chisolm at Miami – Football
After Miami pulled to within 31-17 in the third quarter, the Hurricanes had a 4th down pass play at the MTSU 1-yard line that Teldrick Ross broke up. The Blue Raiders took over at the 2-yard line and on the first play, Chase Cunningham checked out of the called play and hit a streaking DJ England-Chisolm down the left sideline for a 98-yard touchdown pass. That pass equaled the longest in school history and virtually thwarted any hopes of a Miami comeback.
Jakobe Thomas – Football
With MTSU trailing late in the fourth quarter at FIU, Jakobe Thomas picked off a pass with 2:50 left to play and returned it 28 yards for the winning touchdown. The victory secured win No. 7 and a guaranteed spot in postseason play.
MTSU Volleyball vs. WKU 9/24/22 3rd Set 12-12
On a 30-second rally that got a combined million views on social media platforms that saw even the ceiling get a piece of the ball to try to stop the Blue Raiders from getting a point, junior Megan Turner made an insane one handed dig out of bounds to help get the ball back over the net which ended with senior Kayla Henley blocking an all-American outside hitter from nationally ranked WKU.
Taijah Fraser – Soccer vs Austin Peay 9/04/22
Late in the first half, the speedy winger made a run into the top of the 18-yard box, where Lauren Spaanstra found the sprinting Fraser at the perfect position. The forward from Brampton, Canada flicked her foot for a first-time half volley, chipping the Governors' keeper and giving MTSU a 2-0 lead and Fraser her first career goal, one that would ultimately prove to be the deciding goal in Aston Rhoden's 200th career win.
Francisco Rocha – Tennis vs. Rice 2/10/23
Francisco Rocha's incredible save on a ball that floated just over Brostrom Poulsen's head gave the Blue Raiders number one pairing the momentum to take a 6-3 win to start off doubles play. Realizing that the shot was inbounds, Rocha sprinted hard over his left shoulder at a ball destined for the corner and twisted his body to forehand a ball while he was sliding to the ground. As the Portuguese native continued sliding into the corner netting, the ball landed just in bounds on the Rice side of the net, prompting a loud pop from the home fans and a look of disbelief on Rocha's face as he sat in the corner.
Kseniya Malashka – Women's Basketball vs. Louisiana Tech 2/25/23
Kseniya Malashka hit a shot with three seconds left to play at Louisiana Tech to give the Lady Raiders a 61-59 win. Malashka, who equaled her career-high with 27 points, also blocked the Bulldogs' game-tying attempt as time expired.
Alexis Whittington – Women's Basketball vs. UTEP 3/10/23
Just seconds after the Miners took the lead in the 4th Quarter of the Conference USA semifinals, Whittington found herself with the ball at the top of the key driving into the lane. The Murfreesboro native made a layup through the contact of the Miner defense, drawing a foul and retaking the lead. Her free throw would stretch the lead to two, a lead MTSU would not relinquish, punching their ticket to the Conference USA Championship.
Camryn Weston – Men's Basketball vs. Charlotte 3/9/23
Weston hit a step back 3-pointer in the final seconds of the Blue Raiders' Conference USA quarterfinal victory over Charlotte. His third made 3-pointer of the night gave MTSU a come-from-behind win to advance to the tournament semifinals.
Lilly-Sophie Schmidt – Women's Tennis vs. Austin Peay 1/22/23
Lilly-Sophie Schmidt's clinching match point was crucial in turning around the season for the Blue Raiders after losing their first two matches on the road. All eyes were on court No. 4 as the winner would clinch the match for either side. Schmidt lost the first two sets but fought back to win the third set tiebreak 7-6 (5). That match point helped the Blue Raiders win their first match of the season and catapulted them to win six straight home matches.
JT Mabry – Baseball vs. WKU 3/19/23
Tied with WKU 6-6 in the eighth inning of a Sunday series rubber match, JT Mabry singled to drive in the winning runs on a 2-2 count. The Blue Raiders held on to win 8-6 to win the home series and would go on to defeat WKU in five of six total games against their rivals.
Laura Mealer – Softball vs. FAU 4/2/2023
The Blue Raiders held a one-run lead over FAU, 2-1, going into the top of the seventh after an inside-the-park home run off the bat of Laura Mealer in the bottom of the sixth. It was Mealer's seventh home run of the season.
Michael Barnard – Men's Golf – Eagle putt at Mason Rudolph Championship
Michael Barnard finished off a three-round performance of 208 (-5) that gave him an eighth-place finish at the Mason Rudolph Championship by draining a long putt for eagle on the 18th hole. His tee shot ended up in the bunker, but Barnard placed an iron shot in the middle of the green before sinking the putt.
Elias King – MBB – 3-pointer vs. Florida Atlantic
King knocked down a corner three with under three minutes to play, stymying an FAU comeback attempt as the Blue Raiders knocked off the No. 25 Owls at the Murphy Center. King's three made it a 69-60 Blue Raider lead, and MTSU knocked down late free throws to hold on for the victory.
Performance of the Year (fan vote)
Quindarius Dunnigan - Football
Making his first collegiate start at defensive end against Colorado State on the road, Dunnigan recorded 3.5 TFLs including 2.5 sacks and a pass breakup to earn C-USA and TSWA Defensive Player of the Week honors. Both statistics were career highs for the sophomore.
Jordan Ferguson – Football
Ferguson was making plays on both sides of the ball on his way to earning Hawai'i Bowl MVP honors. The senior had five tackles, including a TFL, a pass breakup and an interception to lead a defense that forced five turnovers. On offense, Ferguson scored the team's first touchdown of the game when he hauled in an 8-yard touchdown pass to help close the gap on a 14-0 Aztec lead to start the game.
Zaylin Wood – Football
Wood had a career-best 2.0 sacks to go with 2.0 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and an interception he turned into a touchdown, (his first career score on defense) that gave MTSU a quick 10-0 lead just five minutes into the game at No. 25 Miami. Wood went on to earn the Walter Camp and the Bronco Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Chase Cunningham – Football
In a must win situation, QB Chase Cunningham shined on senior day by leading MTSU to a key win over FAU. Cunningham threw for a career-high 448 yards on 40 of 54 passing to go with five touchdowns. The 448 passing yards went down as the second-most in school history and the TD passes were also the second highest total in a single game.
Adri Rhoda (Freshman) – Volleyball
Freshman Adri Rhoda hit home a career-high 19 kills on a .378 attack percentage against an undefeated power-five team in Boston College in Queens, N.Y. Rhoda also notched four service aces, one being the match winner, and a career-high three block assists. The win marked the first time Middle Tennessee has beaten a Power-5 team since 2014 when the Blue Raiders upset Arkansas.
Abigail Kwarteng (Graduate student) – Track and Field
Kwarteng led the women to a 25th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, the first time the women's team had placed in the top-25 at the outdoor meet, and just the second time they've ever placed at the NCAA Championships. She closed out her one season of eligibility with the Blue Raiders with a runner-up finish in the women's high jump, becoming the first Blue Raider female to earn First Team All-American status in the high jump event.
Lauren Spaanstra (Junior) – Soccer
Spaanstra logged three assists against Austin Peay on Sept. 4. Her three assists went to three different goal scorers, as the Blue Raiders took a lead at the 10-minute mark and never looked back in a 3-1 win. The win was also Aston Rhoden's 200th career victory at MTSU.
Savannah Wheeler (Junior) – Women's Basketball
Savannah Wheeler played her best game in a Lady Raider uniform at home against WKU, scoring a season-high 37 points on 11-of-16 shooting, while making 13-of-15 free throw attempts as MTSU scored a season-high 94 points. The junior guard drew 12 fouls from the Lady Toppers, while dishing out four assists and nabbing a team-high two steals. Wheeler tied the most points by a Conference USA player in a game this season and set her own career high in a C-USA game.
Camryn Weston (Junior) – Men's Basketball
Weston scored 22 points – including the game-winning 3-pointer in the closing seconds – in the C-USA quarterfinals against Charlotte. The Albany, Ga., native was 8-for-13 from the floor, including a 3-for-5 mark from 3-point range, and 3-for-3 from the free throw line to go along with three rebounds, two steals and an assist. Weston's 22 points were the most by any Blue Raider on the year.
Owen Stamper (Junior) - Men's Golf
The junior from Scottsville, Ky., picked up his first career tournament victory at the Lake Las Vegas Intercollegiate from Feb. 27-March 1. Stamper shot a career-low 205 (-11) with rounds of 69-69-67 for his third top-two finish of the season. His 18 birdies were the most among the 96-player field.
Marcel Kamrowski (Freshman) – Men's Tennis
Kamrowski has clinched two of the biggest wins this season for the Blue Raiders. His first clinch was against No. 19 Duke, who was ranked as high as No. 12 this season, in the first round of the NCAA Indoor Nationals. Kamrowski battled Duke's Farris Khan for a 7-5, 7-6 (7) victory to give the Blue Raiders their first win over Duke in program history. The freshman tallied a second clinch at No. 19 Northwestern, who was also ranked as high as No. 12 this year. Kamrowski picked up a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win over Northwestern's Gleb Blekher. The win against Northwestern would be the first in program history as well.
Lilly-Sophie Schmidt (Junior) – Women's Tennis
Lilly-Sophie Schmidt had arguably one of the best performances on the tennis court this season against Bellarmine. The junior tallied a 6-1 doubles win on court No. 3. In singles, Schmidt was in a battle on court No. 4 where she lost the first set, 6-4, but bounced back to win the next 6-3, 6-0. Her victory would clinch the win for the Blue Raiders. It was her third straight match clinch as the Blue Raiders won their third straight to remain undefeated at home. The last time MTSU was undefeated at home was the 2014-15 season.
Kamryn Carcich (Junior) - Softball
Kamryn Carcich threw the first no-hitter for MTSU since 2018 and just the 13th in program history. In her debut outing in Murfreesboro, the Murray state transfer held Appalachian State to zero hits in a five-inning run-rule win, 10-0.
Jaden Hamm – Baseball 3/10/23
Jaden Hamm tossed a complete-game, one-hit shutout as the Blue Raiders knocked off Evansville 2-0. Hamm also had 11 strikeouts.
Game/Event of the Year (fan vote)
Football wins at No. 25 Miami
Middle Tennessee football took the ball away early and kept putting the ball in the endzone late, blasting past No. 25 Miami 45-31 at Hard Rock Stadium for the program's first-ever win against a team ranked in the Top 25. QB Chase Cunningham completed 16 of 25 passes for 408 yards and three touchdowns while WR DJ England-Chisolm hauled in two passes for 169 yards and two scores.
Football Hawai'i Bowl win over SDSU
Middle Tennessee football fought and clawed back into the game at the EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl, securing the win behind the clutch foot of Zeke Rankin, as the sophomore kicker's 37-yard field goal pushed MTSU to a 25-25 win over San Diego State at the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex. The win secured back-to-back bowl wins for MTSU for the first time in school history.
Volleyball win over undefeated Boston College
The Middle Tennessee volleyball team took on an undefeated Boston College squad for the first match of the Red Storm Invitational hosted by St. John's. The Blue Raiders went down in the first set but quickly bounced back and snapped Boston College's 10-match win streak to start the season in four sets. The win marked the first time Middle Tennessee has defeated a Power-5 team since 2014 when the Blue Raiders upset Arkansas. As a team, the Blue Raiders held the Eagles to a .115 hitting percentage. Senior Kayla Henley tied a career-high with 19 digs to lead the Blue Raiders in their win. Freshman Adri Rhoda hit home a career-high 19 kills on a .378 attack percentage. Boston College went on to win the NIVC in 2022.
Women's OTF team places 25th at 2022 NCAA Championships
Head Coach Keith Vroman led the women to a 25th-place finish at the meet, the first time the women's team had placed in the top-25 at the outdoor meet. Graduate student Abigail Kwarteng closed out her one season of eligibility with the Blue Raiders with a runner-up finish in the women's high jump, earning First Team All-American honors. Graduate student Esther Isa also earned a First Team All-American nod for her top-eight finish in the women's triple jump. Graduate student Eusila Chepkemei continued to show why she was the best coming out of the C-USA Championships, earning First Team All-American in the 1500 meter and All-American Honorable Mention in the 5000 meter.
Women's Basketball pounds No. 18 Louisville
The Middle Tennessee women's basketball program dominated the middle two quarters, trouncing No. 18 Louisville 39-18 in the middle 20 minutes of the game to romp to a 67-49 win in the Murphy Center.
The win marked the Lady Raiders' first win over a ranked opponent since December 28, 2011, when MTSU knocked off No. 6 Kentucky 70-58 at the Murphy Center. It's the 11th win in program history over a ranked team (fourth under head coach Rick Insell) and the sixth ranked win inside of the Murphy Center.
Savannah Wheeler led all scorers with 23 points, getting to the charity stripe 11 times while knocking down nine of her free throw attempts. She shot 50 percent from the floor while hauling in six rebounds and dishing out five assists. Courtney Whitson scored a double-double, scoring 16 points (including four three-pointers) while grabbing 10 rebounds.
Men's Basketball upends No. 25 FAU
Blue Raider men's basketball defeated No. 25 Florida Atlantic 74-70 on February 16 at the Murphy Center. The win was MTSU's first over a ranked opponent in the 50-year history of the Glass House and the Owls did not lose again until the Final Four.
The Blue Raiders led for 29 minutes and 30 seconds, overcoming an early 10-0 run by the Owls. MTSU forced 15 FAU turnovers while coughing the ball up just nine times.
The Blue Raiders (16-11, 9-7 C-USA) trailed by one point at halftime after withstanding a 7-0 run to end the half from the Owls (24-3, 14-2 C-USA). But coming out of the locker room to start the game's second 20 minutes, MTSU scored eight out of 20 points on the fast break in the half's opening nine minutes.
Camryn Weston's 16 points and seven rebounds were both team highs as four Blue Raiders scored in double figures and five recorded at least five rebounds.
Men's Tennis defeats No. 19 Duke
The Blue Raiders started the match off strong winning the doubles point. No. 26 Oskar Brostrom Poulsen and Francisco Rocha defeated No. 49 Michael Heller/Andrew Zhang 6-3 on court No. 1. Ondrej Horak and Marcel Kamrowski won on court No. 3 6-4 to claim the doubles point.
In singles, the Blue Devils would tie it up at one all with a win on court No. 1. Horak tallied a 6-4, 6-4 victory on court No. 4. Pavel Motl picked up a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win on court No. 6 to give MTSU a 3-1 lead. On court No. 3, Duke would gain a point back to cut the Blue Raider lead to 3-2. Kamrowski had ice in his veins as he clinched the win for the MTSU winning 7-5, 7-6 (7) on court No. 5. This win would be the first win against Duke in program history.
Women's Tennis defeats WKU
After being on the road, the Blue Raiders were back at the Adams Tennis Complex. MTSU fought back from losing the doubles point and the first singles match and tied the match at 2-2. Noelle Mauro won on court No. 4 6-3, 6-2. Sana Garakani took care of business on court No. 2 and came out with a 6-3, 6-2 victory. The Lady Toppers took a point on court No. 5 to give them a 3-2 lead. On court No. 3, Muskan Gupta tallied a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 win to tie the match at 3-3. All eyes were on court No. 1 as the reigning Conference USA Athlete of the Week, Love-Star Alexis, clinched the win for the Blue Raiders 7-6 (3), 7-5. This would be MTSU's first conference win of the season and continued their home win streak to seven matches. The last time the Blue Raiders were undefeated at home was during the 2014-15 season.
Baseball Clinches Series Sweep at WKU 4.8.23
Middle Tennessee jumped out to a 5-1 lead in Bowling Green, and James Sells had his third save in as many games as the Blue Raiders clinched a three-game series sweep over the Hilltoppers. With the 5-4 win, MTSU took their fifth against WKU in the six game season series. The win, as well as Thursday and Friday's wins got Sells Conference USA Pitcher of the Week.
Female Breakout Performer
Kayla Henley – volleyball
Hannah Suder – soccer
Love-Star Alexis – tennis
Amaya Harris – softball
Agnes Chepkurui – cross country
Male Breakout Performer
Tra Fluellen – football
Elias King – basketball
Markus Varjun – golf
Oskar Brostrom Poulsen – tennis
Briggs Rutter – baseball
Female Athlete of the Year
Kayla Henley – volleyball
Abigail Kwarteng – outdoor track
Caroline Manley – soccer
Taylor Edlin – golf
Savannah Wheeler – basketball
Muskan Gupta - tennis
Laura Mealer – softball
Male Athlete of the Year
Jordan Ferguson – football
Alaba Akintola – track
Owen Stamper – golf
Stijn Slump – tennis
JT Mabry – baseball
Female President's Award
Courtney Whitson – basketball
Catherine Caudill – golf
Caroline Manley – soccer
Muskan Gupta – tennis
Taylor Eisert – volleyball
Gretchen Mead – softball
Male President's Award
Francisco Rocha – tennis
Owen Stamper - golf
Eston Snider – baseball
Jordan Ferguson – football
Blue Raider Notebook Presented by TOA - September 22nd
Monday, September 22
MTSU Football Weekly Press Conference 9/22/25
Monday, September 22
MTSU Football vs Marshall post-game conference - 9/20/25
Sunday, September 21
2025 Blue Raider Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Friday, September 19
