Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
SUMMER NOTEBOOK: What you’ve missed so far this June
6/17/2024 4:28:00 PM | General, Men's Golf, Men's Tennis, Women's Golf, Women's Cross Country and Track & Field, Track & Field/Cross Country
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Hello Blue Raiders! I hope your summer is off to a blazing start. Things have slowed down, as usual, this time of year here in Murfreesboro in the Athletic Communications office.
While so many of our programs are busy running their summer camps, some with goals of inspiring and teaching the next generation, others with the goal of discovering who the next generation of Blue Raiders will be, there's not as much for us to report on week-to-week. That said, patience has its virtues, and waiting until now to give you your first summer notebook from our office has given me plenty to report if you missed any of our releases or social posts in your summer travels.
Speaking of which, I was excited to finally publish a feature earlier in June that was many months in the making on how folks at MTSU worked behind the scenes with EA Sports to help the Blue Raiders appear in EA Sports College Football 25, releasing next month for the PS5 and XBOX Series S/X consoles. You can read the full article, if you haven't already, below!
Now, for some other headlines around the Blue Raider Athletics!
Sanga earns All-American Honors at NCAA Championships
Middle Tennessee's Purity Sanga ran in the 10K at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Thursday June 6 at Hayward Field.
The Kapsabet, Kenya native placed 19th in the 10K race with a time of 34:31.63s. She earned Honorable Mention All-American honors for her performance in the 10K at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. As a graduate transfer, Sanga competed in her first outdoor track and field championships.
"Purity had a fantastic couple of years at MTSU," said head coach Keith Vroman. "I'm so happy she could finish her career as an All-American at the NCAA Championships!
Football places 14 onto Phil Steele and Athlon Sports Preseason All-CUSA Teams
It's season preview magazine time in the world of college sports publishing and your Blue Raiders have made many preseason honors lists in your local supermarket aisle, including these MTSU Football players that were honored either by Phil Steele or Athlon Sports.
Phil Steele
1st Team: Parker Hughes (LB), Brody Butler (LS)
2nd Team: Brian Brewton (KR)
3rd Team: Nicholas Vattiato (QB), Holden Willis (TE), Devyn Curtis (LB)
4th Team: Omari Kelly (WR), Brendon Harris (S), Zeke Rankin (PK), Trey Turk (P)
Athlon Sports
1st Team: Holden Willis (TE), Parker Hughes (LB)
2nd Team: Omari Kelly (WR)
3rd Team: Nicholas Vattiato (QB), Frank Peasant (RB), Julius Pierce (OL), Drew Francis (LB), Devyn Curtis (LB)
4th Team: Tyrell Raby (CB)
Many Blue Raiders returned to campus for offseason earlier this June and will officially report to fall camp on July 30 with the first practice set for July 31. MTSU will open the 2024 season at home on Aug. 31 against in-state foe Tennessee Tech.
Assistant Coach Payne Denman wins Tennessee Amateur
Assistant Men's Golf Coach Payne Denman sat atop the leaderboard at the 109th Tennessee Amateur Golf Tournament on Friday after 72 holes at Tennessee National Golf Club. Denman, who earned All-Sun Belt honors when he played for the Blue Raiders, finished the tournament with an 18-under 270, winning by four shots over Ole Miss golfer Cameron Tankersley.
Fellow Blue Raider Sheldon McKnight, who appeared in 15 rounds for MTSU as a redshirt freshman this season, finished in the Top 5 with a four-round score of 10-under. Incoming freshmen Thad Whitfield (-6, ninth) and Owen Queener (+2, T-31) also made the cut.
Lee, Campbell start strong in the summer for Women's Golf
A pair of Blue Raider Women's Golfers picked up big wins on the summer circuit in June, with Abbie Lee winning her first tournament since February at the Kentucky Women's Strokeplay, while Lanie Campbell picked up the win in the Tennessee Women's Match Play Championship!
Lee shot a six-under 66 in the final round of the two-round tournament to finish four-under, finishing one stroke ahead of Reagan Ramage and Elizabeth Eberle at Elizabethtown Country Club. Lanie Campbell, meanwhile, knocked off her sister Karlie in the final 19 holes at Westhaven Golf Club.
Final Beam placed for Student-Athlete Performance Center
Thanks to all who attended our beam placement ceremony last week at the site of the new Student-Athlete Performance Center, as we reached another milestone in #BuildBlue.
Men's Tennis wins three ITA Ohio Valley Region Awards, set for early season tournament matchup at Columbia
Middle Tennessee men's tennis' Associate Head Coach Andrea Caligiana, senior Leo Raquin and redshirt senior Demis Taramonlis added additional hardware this season, receiving Intercollegiate Tennis Association Ohio Valley awards on Wednesday, June 12.
Caligiana was tabbed as the region's Assistant Coach of the Year, while Raquin was named the region's Most Improved Senior. Taramonlis earned the Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. This award is presented to the men's and women's national student-athletes who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership, as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements.
"All of these awards are impressive accomplishments," said MTSU Head Coach Jimmy Borendame. "Demis has been outstanding on and off the court and I wish we could have had him around for years. Leo's most improved award is a credit to the higher level of daily focus he put in throughout the year from day one.
"In my opinion, Coach Caligiana could have won this award four years in a row by now," Borendame continued. "He goes all in, and he is the backbone of the program. As for the community service award, this will always be a pillar of our program and it shows when we have an average of well over 200 plus fans per home match during the season. We are proud of all these awards."
Summer Workouts heat up for Men's and Women's Basketball
While so many of our programs are busy running their summer camps, some with goals of inspiring and teaching the next generation, others with the goal of discovering who the next generation of Blue Raiders will be, there's not as much for us to report on week-to-week. That said, patience has its virtues, and waiting until now to give you your first summer notebook from our office has given me plenty to report if you missed any of our releases or social posts in your summer travels.
Speaking of which, I was excited to finally publish a feature earlier in June that was many months in the making on how folks at MTSU worked behind the scenes with EA Sports to help the Blue Raiders appear in EA Sports College Football 25, releasing next month for the PS5 and XBOX Series S/X consoles. You can read the full article, if you haven't already, below!
The Blue Raiders are in the game. From hundreds of Floyd Stadium photos to licensing details and everything in between, MTSU Staff Writer @sjdoughton details everything it took to get @MT_FB on a gaming system near you next month.https://t.co/8XGzEhmaST
— Middle Tennessee Athletics (@MTAthletics) June 5, 2024
Now, for some other headlines around the Blue Raider Athletics!
Sanga earns All-American Honors at NCAA Championships
Middle Tennessee's Purity Sanga ran in the 10K at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Thursday June 6 at Hayward Field.
The Kapsabet, Kenya native placed 19th in the 10K race with a time of 34:31.63s. She earned Honorable Mention All-American honors for her performance in the 10K at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. As a graduate transfer, Sanga competed in her first outdoor track and field championships.
"Purity had a fantastic couple of years at MTSU," said head coach Keith Vroman. "I'm so happy she could finish her career as an All-American at the NCAA Championships!
𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 | Women's 10K
— Middle Tennessee XC/Track & Field (@MT_TrackField) June 7, 2024
1⃣9⃣ Purity Sanga, 34:31.63s
#BLUEnited | 📊 https://t.co/FGfUhCdbBh pic.twitter.com/81mIaq4HKj
Football places 14 onto Phil Steele and Athlon Sports Preseason All-CUSA Teams
It's season preview magazine time in the world of college sports publishing and your Blue Raiders have made many preseason honors lists in your local supermarket aisle, including these MTSU Football players that were honored either by Phil Steele or Athlon Sports.
Phil Steele
1st Team: Parker Hughes (LB), Brody Butler (LS)
2nd Team: Brian Brewton (KR)
3rd Team: Nicholas Vattiato (QB), Holden Willis (TE), Devyn Curtis (LB)
4th Team: Omari Kelly (WR), Brendon Harris (S), Zeke Rankin (PK), Trey Turk (P)
Athlon Sports
1st Team: Holden Willis (TE), Parker Hughes (LB)
2nd Team: Omari Kelly (WR)
3rd Team: Nicholas Vattiato (QB), Frank Peasant (RB), Julius Pierce (OL), Drew Francis (LB), Devyn Curtis (LB)
4th Team: Tyrell Raby (CB)
Many Blue Raiders returned to campus for offseason earlier this June and will officially report to fall camp on July 30 with the first practice set for July 31. MTSU will open the 2024 season at home on Aug. 31 against in-state foe Tennessee Tech.
Week one work 😤#BoroBuiltMiddleMade pic.twitter.com/3OdiWJtOJp
— Middle Tennessee Football (@MT_FB) June 9, 2024
Assistant Coach Payne Denman wins Tennessee Amateur
Assistant Men's Golf Coach Payne Denman sat atop the leaderboard at the 109th Tennessee Amateur Golf Tournament on Friday after 72 holes at Tennessee National Golf Club. Denman, who earned All-Sun Belt honors when he played for the Blue Raiders, finished the tournament with an 18-under 270, winning by four shots over Ole Miss golfer Cameron Tankersley.
Fellow Blue Raider Sheldon McKnight, who appeared in 15 rounds for MTSU as a redshirt freshman this season, finished in the Top 5 with a four-round score of 10-under. Incoming freshmen Thad Whitfield (-6, ninth) and Owen Queener (+2, T-31) also made the cut.
Lee, Campbell start strong in the summer for Women's Golf
A pair of Blue Raider Women's Golfers picked up big wins on the summer circuit in June, with Abbie Lee winning her first tournament since February at the Kentucky Women's Strokeplay, while Lanie Campbell picked up the win in the Tennessee Women's Match Play Championship!
Lee shot a six-under 66 in the final round of the two-round tournament to finish four-under, finishing one stroke ahead of Reagan Ramage and Elizabeth Eberle at Elizabethtown Country Club. Lanie Campbell, meanwhile, knocked off her sister Karlie in the final 19 holes at Westhaven Golf Club.
For the third year in a row, a Blue Raider has won the Kentucky Women's Strokeplay Championship. @abbie_leelee took the win in her first tournament back on the links since February! 👏#BLUEnited pic.twitter.com/rNwKpynO6w
— Middle Tennessee Women's Golf (@MT_WGolf) June 5, 2024
Congrats to @laniecampbell15 on winning the 2024 Tennessee Women's Match Play Championship! 👏#BLUEnited pic.twitter.com/kMQGat0ggR
— Middle Tennessee Women's Golf (@MT_WGolf) June 7, 2024
Final Beam placed for Student-Athlete Performance Center
Thanks to all who attended our beam placement ceremony last week at the site of the new Student-Athlete Performance Center, as we reached another milestone in #BuildBlue.
The final beam is in place and construction on the Student-Athlete Performance Center continues!#BLUEnited | #BuildBlue pic.twitter.com/Vql8g3sil4
— Middle Tennessee Athletics (@MTAthletics) June 11, 2024
Men's Tennis wins three ITA Ohio Valley Region Awards, set for early season tournament matchup at Columbia
Middle Tennessee men's tennis' Associate Head Coach Andrea Caligiana, senior Leo Raquin and redshirt senior Demis Taramonlis added additional hardware this season, receiving Intercollegiate Tennis Association Ohio Valley awards on Wednesday, June 12.
Caligiana was tabbed as the region's Assistant Coach of the Year, while Raquin was named the region's Most Improved Senior. Taramonlis earned the Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. This award is presented to the men's and women's national student-athletes who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership, as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements.
"All of these awards are impressive accomplishments," said MTSU Head Coach Jimmy Borendame. "Demis has been outstanding on and off the court and I wish we could have had him around for years. Leo's most improved award is a credit to the higher level of daily focus he put in throughout the year from day one.
"In my opinion, Coach Caligiana could have won this award four years in a row by now," Borendame continued. "He goes all in, and he is the backbone of the program. As for the community service award, this will always be a pillar of our program and it shows when we have an average of well over 200 plus fans per home match during the season. We are proud of all these awards."
Summer Workouts heat up for Men's and Women's Basketball
BACK in the lab 👀#BLUEnited pic.twitter.com/rjbtRheuaj
— Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball (@MT_MBB) June 5, 2024
Gettin' after it 😤#BLUEnited | #TrueBlue pic.twitter.com/Gi4L5FICMS
— Middle Tennessee Women's Basketball (@MT_WBB) June 17, 2024
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Tennis
/ Women's Cross Country and Track & Field
/ Men's Tennis
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