A day that is always emotional for student athletes, Senior Day, seemed a little harder for the Murray State women’s basketball team this time around.
The program is preparing to say goodbye to the best player to ever wear a Murray State jersey. Fortunately for Head Coach Rechelle Turner, the women’s basketball program and all of Racer Nation, forward Katelyn Young decided to use her extra year of eligibility to stay at Murray State for one more season. Young played in her last collegiate home game on Senior Day.
As the seniors were being honored before the March 1 game against Southern Illinois, Young was the last senior announced. After all of her accolades were read out to the fans in attendance, a stunning reveal happened. Public address announcer Michael Robinson revealed that Young’s No. 31 jersey was being retired and no one would ever wear it again.
Turner had to make sure Young didn’t walk away from her before the reveal.
“I didn’t want Katelyn to get away from me,” Turner said. “So I told her to hold my hand. That’s not something we normally do. I grabbed her hand because I didn’t need her to walk off, and about that time they started the announcement and I just said, ‘Look up.’ I just kind of looked at her as they dropped (the banner) and tears filled her eyes. I just said ‘You deserve this.’”
Young noticed an extra space in the rafter but was never made aware that her jersey was being retired.
“No one told me anything,” Young said. “But you know, I have to look around my gym and everything. There might have been a little blank spot. I was like, ‘There’s no way they’re actually doing it.’ I really was surprised when it actually dropped. I mean, it’s a huge honor. I’m so thankful for the University to be able to do that. Words can’t describe it.”
When you talk about Young’s career at Murray State, the first thing you notice is she is the all-time program leader in points and rebounds. After the game against Southern Illinois, where she scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds, Young’s career totals went to 2,888 points and 1,180 rebounds. Her career point total is good enough for 21st all-time in Division 1 women’s basketball, according to sports-reference.com.
Murray State fans hope that Young can lead the Murray State women’s team to a Missouri Valley Conference regular season and conference championship.
Even though her career is coming to an end, she is now forever immortalized in Murray State basketball history.
