Crossover season is in full swing (pun intended) for athletic programs across the country, and Murray State is no exception.
Murray State men’s basketball begins their run for a Missouri Valley Conference championship on March 6 at Arch Madness, the women’s basketball team went back-to-back as regular season champs of the MVC, baseball is off to a hot start right where they left off after last summer’s special run to the Men’s College World Series and softball is gearing up for conference play.
Nico Yantko, director of athletics, said they’ve already accomplished so much since the calendar turned to 2026.
“When you take a step back and look at what we’ve been able to accomplish so far, we have two championships already,” Yantko said. “Men’s basketball got a first-round bye and a 20-win season with a first-year head coach. Men’s basketball, women’s basketball and baseball were all ranked in the mid-major top-25 of their respective polls.”
Yantko shared his appreciation for the investors, Board of Regents and University President Ron Patterson for being able to properly align with the goals of the athletic department as a whole.
“We have so many great things going on and irons in the fire and the programs are really starting on this new trajectory,” Yantko said. “We’re never satisfied. We’re going to be competitive in everything we do, we’re going to punch above our weight class, we’re going to find ways to compete with other institutions and leagues and I think we’re on the right path.”
On Feb. 27, ESPN’s Pete Thamel announced on social media that Yantko had received a five-year contract extension that would keep him as the athletic director at Murray State until 2031.
“The compliment really goes to Dr. Patterson for his vision for athletics and his conviction in our plan and the Board (of Regents) belief in that plan,” Yantko said. “I believe that institutions that are most aligned in their approach to position athletics departments in this new era will have the most success. I’m grateful for both of those groups.”
On Dec. 22, 2025, Murray State Athletics announced a 10-year partnership with Learfield, a media and technology company. The contract began on Jan. 1. Yantko said this partnership would help “maximize our brand and maximize our revenue generation.”
“Learfield is the industry leader in the multimedia rights space,” Yantko said. “That’s sponsorships, television, radio and all of those mediums. This is a group that’s never really been interested in working with Murray State, so that shows you the trajectory we’re on and the investment that they see here.”
Yantko noted that four positions will be hired in partnership with Learfield, two of which have already been filled. The first spot filled was the director of broadcasting, which Dave Winder will fill. Winder is the longtime sports information director at Murray State and was a Murray State baseball player from 1983-87 under legendary coach Johnny Reagan.
“I think one of Dave’s special traits is that he’s a storyteller,” Yantko said. “I’m really excited for Dave to narrate not only our past, but our future.”
Winder’s role will be to “work closely with Learfield to elevate Murray State’s live game broadcasts and storytelling across radio and digital platforms,” according to a Feb. 4 press release.
The other position was general manager of Murray State Sports Properties. That spot will be filled by Sal Miliotto. Miliotto served as the manager of business developments for Omaha Sports Properties, the Learfield team affiliated with the University of Nebraska Omaha.
“We are thrilled to have Sal join Racer Nation as general manager of our new Learfield property,” Yantko said in a Jan. 26 press release. “His thorough approach to revenue generation will create new opportunities for the department and our sponsors. He will be a tremendous asset for us as we finish building out this team.”
Learfield will also help them with NIL and licensing rights, as well as bringing brands to the table with Murray State that might not have been thought about before, Yantko said.
“This is a really good piece for us to continue to elevate and it’s one of the more lucrative deals in the mid-major space,” Yantko said.
Conference championship time
The annual Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament begins on March 5, and Murray State locked in the fourth seed on March 1. That seed is their highest since joining the MVC and Yantko credits the work of first-year head coach Ryan Miller.
“I’m ecstatic for coach Miller,” Yantko said. “No one can second guess his enthusiasm, professionalism and his ability to just outwork people. That’s what we do here at Murray State. We’re blue collar, but we’re going to continue to have high-level expectations here across the board. We’ve checked a lot of boxes we’ve never seen or gotten close to before.”
Miller led the men’s basketball team to their first 20-win season and their highest seed in Arch Madness since joining the MVC.
For the first time in women’s basketball program history, the team has won back-to-back regular season championships. Despite hitting some turbulence in the first few seasons of MVC play, Yantko is thrilled by what head coach Rechelle Turner has done with the team.
“She has been able to reposition the program, leverage the resources at her disposal and just outwork everyone,” Yantko said. “I love Rechelle’s passion and enthusiasm. She’s a grinder and her players love her.”
Upgrades coming to athletic facilities
It’s been known and announced that the CFSB Center would be undergoing renovations at the conclusion of this year and Yantko made it clear that everything was still on track.
“On March 9, demo will begin at the CFSB Center,” Yantko said. “This will be the largest project in athletics history, and as it should be. It’s the crown jewel of our sports complex. It’s the largest venue in our campus footprint and region, and we continue to expect to serve our region.”
The renovations will include brand-new lower bowl seating, retractable student section seating, which will allow for other events like commencement and other things, a “courtside club,” loge boxes around the concourse and “new, creative and modern concepts and courtside seating.”
If you came to a men’s or women’s basketball game and entered from the lower ticket office, you may have noticed some renderings of Roy Stewart Stadium with some potential upgrades. Yantko noted that they want the facilities to reflect “the neighborhood we live in” which is the MVC. With all of the great changes happening at the CFSB Center and Reagan Field, Yantko knew it was due time for Stewart Stadium to get some love, too.
“We’re going to completely renovate the track, which will be the first time it’s been done, where we’ll take the track all the way down to its base level and come back with a nice blue and gold track,” Yantko said. “We’re also going to put in what I think is a really unique asset for us, which will mimic Churchill Downs when you look at the grandstand side that faces a very large videoboard on the opposite end.”
Yantko said they will be redoing the entire first floor of Stewart Stadium due to it being an “archaic space” with no branding.
Yantko thanked the fans and the University as a whole at the end of the interview.
“Ultimately, the thanks goes to our fans,” Yantko said. “Racer Nation continues to propel and fuel our race towards excellence. I can’t thank the University enough for their belief in our plan, and I promise you, we say it all the time, but the best is yet to come.”
