Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
NOTEBOOK: Women’s Golf wins first team tournament title of Wamsley Era
9/16/2024 5:14:00 PM | Football, General, Men's Cross Country and Track & Field, Women's Golf, Women's Cross Country and Track & Field, BRAA, Track & Field/Cross Country, Gameday, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
Football preps for Homecoming against Duke, Hall of Fame Induction set for Friday night
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — For the first time since 2022 and for the first time under new head coach Lauren Wamsley, the Middle Tennessee Women's Golf Team stood atop the podium at the end of a tournament, winning this weekend's Cardinal Cup at the University of Louisville Golf Club in Simpsonville, Ky.
The Blue Raiders shot a three-day total of 880 (+16), winning the tournament by three strokes over rival Western Kentucky. Ella Manley was the Blue Raiders' lowest scorer in the field, finishing tied for seventh at three-over par. Kendall Maynard also posted a top-10 finish just one stroke behind Manley at four-over.
"What a special day it is today," Wamsley said after the tournament. "I am so proud of this team to fight as hard as they did all week through the weather. The rain, the wind and a few injuries here and there never slowed them down. The team went out fighting and earned some hardware to bring back home, so we're all really excited."
This was the Blue Raiders second tournament of the fall and their second overall under the leadership of Wamsley, who was hired as the head coach of the women's golf program this summer. The Blue Raiders will be back in action locally this week competing in the Mason Rudolph Championship in Franklin, Tenn., hosted by Vanderbilt.
Football turns the page to the Blue Devils
After a Sunday where Middle Tennessee football watched the tape, assessed the product and implemented corrections, Head Coach Derek Mason said his program turned the page from the tough loss to WKU on Saturday to focus on Duke, who heads into Floyd Stadium undefeated for MTSU's Homecoming this Saturday at 3:00 p.m. on ESPNU and the Blue Raider Network.
Coached by Manny Diaz, a former Blue Raiders defensive coordinator as well as friend of Mason's, the Blue Devils have scored exactly 26 points in all three of their games so far this season, picking up wins over Elon, Northwestern and UConn. Mason was quick to praise many units of the Duke program, highlighting players like running back Star Thomas, quarterback Mailk Murphy and safety Terry Moore, among others, as threats to MTSU.
Perhaps giving a slight edge to MTSU in scouting department this week is the presence of Hayes Sutton in the Blue Raider wide receiver room, who was on the roster for Duke a season ago. An All-Ivy League standout at Brown who missed all of his one season in Durham due to injury, Mason highlighted Sutton as someone who the team is excited to get healthier as the season progresses, giving Nicholas Vattiato another threat in the passing game. And yes, he could be a resource for the team ahead of facing off against many of his former teammates.
"I haven't dug into that with Hayes yet, talked to him a little bit about it yesterday," Mason said. "He's played against these guys, he's practiced against these guys. It'll be interesting what tips his gives our guys this week."
Much of MTSU's focus this week remains on itself, however, with the need to continue to find options due the attrition the team has suffered from injury early in 2024, as well as looking to improve heavily across the board, but most notably on defense, which is the only unit in the country to give up over 1,000 yards passing through three games.
"This football team has a lot of resilience," Mason said. "Everybody has obstacles and hurdles that they have to overcome. Ours have come a little earlier than most."
One bright spot for the Blue Raiders on Monday? Wide receiver Omari Kelly and offensive lineman Simon Wilson with both named to the Pro Football Focus National Team of the Week. Kelly, who finished just a handful of yards shy of the program record for receiving yards in a single game last week, was humble about the recognition.
"It was a big accomplishment, something I really didn't expect would come out of the game," Kelly said. "I just wanted to take the game one play at a time to make sure I'm helping put everybody else in a good position."
Blue Raider Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024 Induction Set for Friday
The MTSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024 is set for induction this Friday night in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University. This is always one of my favorite nights of the year as someone who didn't grow up in the Middle Tennessee area, because I always learn about the history of our athletic department from generations of Blue Raiders that have come before.
This year's class is a loaded one, featuring NCAA Tournament wins in the coaching ranks (Kermit Davis), program record holders (Ebony Rowe and Jeff Beachum) and gridiron standouts both in recent history and from eras past (Jamari Lattimore and Marvin Collier). Stay tuned to our MT Athletics socials this week to learn more about each of our inductees ahead of Friday evening's induction ceremony!
Homecoming Festivities change times with kickoff move
With this weekend's game being MTSU's annual Homecoming weekend, there's a plethora of events for all Blue Raiders on campus this weekend. Our friends across campus in the University Communications office have put together a great write-up on all the weekend's festivities, including the annual Homecoming Parade Saturday morning and the SGA events for Blue Raider students during the week.
You can check all of the fun out at the following link, with the new times for all the fun also in the tweet below: https://mtsunews.com/mtsu-blue-raider-rodeo-homecoming-2024/
Trio of Blue Raider standouts highlight Cross Country's Friday in the Rocket City
Middle Tennessee Cross Country again had strong individual performances in a loaded field over the weekend, with three Blue Raiders earning Top 10s at the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Ala.
Brian Kiptoo and Allan Kiplagat finished sixth and seventh in the men's race while Odilia Jepchumba finished sixth in the women's race.
Spies picks up second straight CUSA Freshman of the Week honor
Catch MTSU Soccer twice this week at Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium
In addition to football's home game this weekend, Blue Raider fans have two more chances to cheer on the home team this week, with soccer opening up CUSA play on Thursday night against FIU, before hosting Alcorn State on Sunday. Check out the game times and more in What's Happening in the Boro!
The Blue Raiders shot a three-day total of 880 (+16), winning the tournament by three strokes over rival Western Kentucky. Ella Manley was the Blue Raiders' lowest scorer in the field, finishing tied for seventh at three-over par. Kendall Maynard also posted a top-10 finish just one stroke behind Manley at four-over.
"What a special day it is today," Wamsley said after the tournament. "I am so proud of this team to fight as hard as they did all week through the weather. The rain, the wind and a few injuries here and there never slowed them down. The team went out fighting and earned some hardware to bring back home, so we're all really excited."
The Blue Raiders are your 2024 Cardinal Cup Team Champions!! 🏆 🥳 pic.twitter.com/7lUzCnqSAP
— Middle Tennessee Women's Golf (@MT_WGolf) September 15, 2024
Bringing some hardware (Louisville Sluggers of course) back to the 'Boro! pic.twitter.com/le5B8XbVYn
— Middle Tennessee Women's Golf (@MT_WGolf) September 15, 2024
This was the Blue Raiders second tournament of the fall and their second overall under the leadership of Wamsley, who was hired as the head coach of the women's golf program this summer. The Blue Raiders will be back in action locally this week competing in the Mason Rudolph Championship in Franklin, Tenn., hosted by Vanderbilt.
Football turns the page to the Blue Devils
After a Sunday where Middle Tennessee football watched the tape, assessed the product and implemented corrections, Head Coach Derek Mason said his program turned the page from the tough loss to WKU on Saturday to focus on Duke, who heads into Floyd Stadium undefeated for MTSU's Homecoming this Saturday at 3:00 p.m. on ESPNU and the Blue Raider Network.
Coached by Manny Diaz, a former Blue Raiders defensive coordinator as well as friend of Mason's, the Blue Devils have scored exactly 26 points in all three of their games so far this season, picking up wins over Elon, Northwestern and UConn. Mason was quick to praise many units of the Duke program, highlighting players like running back Star Thomas, quarterback Mailk Murphy and safety Terry Moore, among others, as threats to MTSU.
Perhaps giving a slight edge to MTSU in scouting department this week is the presence of Hayes Sutton in the Blue Raider wide receiver room, who was on the roster for Duke a season ago. An All-Ivy League standout at Brown who missed all of his one season in Durham due to injury, Mason highlighted Sutton as someone who the team is excited to get healthier as the season progresses, giving Nicholas Vattiato another threat in the passing game. And yes, he could be a resource for the team ahead of facing off against many of his former teammates.
"I haven't dug into that with Hayes yet, talked to him a little bit about it yesterday," Mason said. "He's played against these guys, he's practiced against these guys. It'll be interesting what tips his gives our guys this week."
Much of MTSU's focus this week remains on itself, however, with the need to continue to find options due the attrition the team has suffered from injury early in 2024, as well as looking to improve heavily across the board, but most notably on defense, which is the only unit in the country to give up over 1,000 yards passing through three games.
"This football team has a lot of resilience," Mason said. "Everybody has obstacles and hurdles that they have to overcome. Ours have come a little earlier than most."
One bright spot for the Blue Raiders on Monday? Wide receiver Omari Kelly and offensive lineman Simon Wilson with both named to the Pro Football Focus National Team of the Week. Kelly, who finished just a handful of yards shy of the program record for receiving yards in a single game last week, was humble about the recognition.
"It was a big accomplishment, something I really didn't expect would come out of the game," Kelly said. "I just wanted to take the game one play at a time to make sure I'm helping put everybody else in a good position."
2️⃣ Blue Raiders are on the @PFF_College National Team of the Week 💪
— Middle Tennessee Football (@MT_FB) September 16, 2024
🏈 @kelly_omari
🏈 @simon_wilson51 #BoroBuiltMiddleMade pic.twitter.com/yWpaoyzrYf
Week 3 College Football Team of the Week⭐️ pic.twitter.com/oVaKE6xWl1
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 15, 2024
Blue Raider Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024 Induction Set for Friday
The MTSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024 is set for induction this Friday night in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University. This is always one of my favorite nights of the year as someone who didn't grow up in the Middle Tennessee area, because I always learn about the history of our athletic department from generations of Blue Raiders that have come before.
This year's class is a loaded one, featuring NCAA Tournament wins in the coaching ranks (Kermit Davis), program record holders (Ebony Rowe and Jeff Beachum) and gridiron standouts both in recent history and from eras past (Jamari Lattimore and Marvin Collier). Stay tuned to our MT Athletics socials this week to learn more about each of our inductees ahead of Friday evening's induction ceremony!
Jeff Beachum, @MT_Baseball's and the Sun Belt's all-time hits leader, will be inducted on Friday night into the Blue Raider Sports Hall of Fame.
— Middle Tennessee Athletics (@MTAthletics) September 16, 2024
Join us on Friday for the induction ceremony for Beachum and the four other members of the Class of 2024!
🔗 https://t.co/JnI9lVADEn pic.twitter.com/UqhGVfo1jS
Homecoming Festivities change times with kickoff move
With this weekend's game being MTSU's annual Homecoming weekend, there's a plethora of events for all Blue Raiders on campus this weekend. Our friends across campus in the University Communications office have put together a great write-up on all the weekend's festivities, including the annual Homecoming Parade Saturday morning and the SGA events for Blue Raider students during the week.
You can check all of the fun out at the following link, with the new times for all the fun also in the tweet below: https://mtsunews.com/mtsu-blue-raider-rodeo-homecoming-2024/
Homecoming Schedule Update!⚡️Check out new times below for events on Sept. 21. https://t.co/B2n3Gbvm27
— MTSU Alumni (@MTAlumni) September 10, 2024
• Mixer on Middle: 9:30AM
• Parade: 10AM
• Tailgate Lunch: noon-2PM
• @mtsu Party in the Grove with @thecadillac3: noon-3PM
• Raider Walk: 12:45PM
• @mt_fb Kickoff: 3PM pic.twitter.com/TJxBtgEQ6t
Trio of Blue Raider standouts highlight Cross Country's Friday in the Rocket City
Middle Tennessee Cross Country again had strong individual performances in a loaded field over the weekend, with three Blue Raiders earning Top 10s at the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Ala.
Brian Kiptoo and Allan Kiplagat finished sixth and seventh in the men's race while Odilia Jepchumba finished sixth in the women's race.
Fought hard to the end 😤#BLUEnited pic.twitter.com/DQQrX7FM0b
— Middle Tennessee XC/Track & Field (@MT_TrackField) September 13, 2024
Spies picks up second straight CUSA Freshman of the Week honor
MAKE THAT ✌️ IN A ROW! Congratulations to Andi Spies on winning her second consecutive CUSA Freshman of the Week! She's just the second Blue Raider to win multiple in one season!#BLUEnited | #BetterInTheBoro pic.twitter.com/kwgQHMbYGF
— Middle Tennessee Volleyball (@MT_Volleyball) September 16, 2024
Catch MTSU Soccer twice this week at Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium
In addition to football's home game this weekend, Blue Raider fans have two more chances to cheer on the home team this week, with soccer opening up CUSA play on Thursday night against FIU, before hosting Alcorn State on Sunday. Check out the game times and more in What's Happening in the Boro!
What's Happening in the 'Boro - presented by Ole South
— Middle Tennessee Athletics (@MTAthletics) September 16, 2024
It's Homecoming week and @MT_FB takes on Duke! @MT_Soccer remains home for two matches.
⚽️🎟️ FREE
🏈🎟️ https://t.co/FpVYoaIe2Z#BLUEnited pic.twitter.com/9qgKxRbzC2
Players Mentioned
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Distance
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Distance
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