Athletics
"It was the program’s first-ever win against a team ranked in the AP Top 25."
MTSU’s NCAA Graduation Success Rate (a four-year measure of freshmen and athletic transfers who entered the University as freshmen) set a new school record in 2021–22 at 94%. It’s the ninth straight year MTSU has either equaled or set a school record. The Blue Raiders ranked second out of the 14 teams in Conference USA, trailing only private institution Rice (95). MTSU had six programs (men’s basketball, men’s tennis, men’s cross country and track, women’s golf, soccer, and volleyball) score a perfect 100. The Blue Raiders’ score of 95 in football tied for fifth nationally (Northwestern 97, Boston College 97, Florida 96, Vanderbilt 96, MTSU 95, Duke 95) and led the way in Conference USA.
Here are some additional MTSU athletics stats:
Spring 2022
- 210 of 328 (64%) of all student-athletes had a 3.0 or higher GPA
- 135 (41%) of all student-athletes made the Dean’s List by earning a 3.5 or higher GPA
- 53 (16%) of all student-athletes had a perfect 4.0 GPA
- 11 of 15 teams had a semester GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Tennis had the highest men’s team GPA: 3.85
- Golf had the highest women’s team GPA: 3.89
- Semester GPA for all student-athletes: 3.067
- Cumulative GPA for all student-athletes: 3.130
Fall 2022
- 221 of 341 (65%) of all student-athletes had a 3.0 or higher GPA
- 147 (43%) of all student-athletes made the Dean’s List by earning a 3.5 GPA or higher
- 59 (17%) of all student-athletes had a perfect 4.0 GPA
- 13 of 15 teams had a semester GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Golf had the highest men’s team GPA: 3.59
- Basketball had the highest women’s team GPA: 3.71
- Semester GPA for all student-athletes: 3.178
- Cumulative GPA for all student-athletes: 3.143
Now, for two select athletic achievements in 2022:
The Blue Raider football team upset the No. 25-ranked University of Miami 45-31 on September 24, at Hard Rock Stadium in a game MTSU controlled wire to wire. It was the program’s first-ever win against a team ranked in the AP Top 25. The Blue Raiders finished the regular season with a record of 7-5, which resulted in an invitation to the EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl in Honolulu on Christmas Eve 2022. In that game, MTSU fought and clawed back into the game, securing a 25-23 victory over San Diego State.
The MTSU women’s basketball team dominated then No. 18-ranked Louisville on their way to a 67-49 win in Murphy Center on December 4. The victory marked the Lady Raiders’ first win over a ranked opponent since Dec. 28, 2011, when MTSU knocked off No. 6 Kentucky 70-58 at Murphy Center. In March 2022, the Lady Raiders made it to the semifinals of the WNIT basketball tournament, hosting a home game in Murphy Center against Seton Hall.
NOVEMBER
Charitable Giving Campaign
With a theme this year of “Make a Difference,” MTSU’s 2022–23 Employee Charitable Giving Campaign raised a record-setting amount of almost $145,000 pledged, beating the $142,500 campaign goal.
The University’s 830 faculty and staff participants once again rose to the occasion and demonstrated their True Blue spirit of giving with pledges totaling $144,906.
Even as inflationary pressures impacted society, MTSU employees showed what good neighbors they are and committed to share their financial resources with area nonprofit organizations that do such great work in supporting those in need.
Participants can designate gifts to 140-plus organizations from a list of 10 independent charities and three federated groups of charities.
MT Engage
The MT Engage program, launched in 2016 as part of the University’s second Quality Enhancement Plan, is designed to support students’ academic engagement in their courses through investing in faculty development and promoting high-impact teaching practices to better support students from all backgrounds.
More specifically, MT Engage invites students to explore connections across different learning experiences and to reflect on the knowledge and skills they are gaining at MTSU so they are equipped to take that knowledge forward into their future careers and civic lives.
MT Engage courses include active learning practices, such as assignments that are problem-based or collaborative or involve undergraduate research, and help students reflect on their learning by documenting their ongoing growth in an ePortfolio. Currently, 336 courses are certified.
In November, MTSU made the program a permanent component of the University’s education delivery program.
Blue Raider Homecoming
MTSU students reach med school The first four MTSU undergraduates successfully advanced in a special partnership with Meharry Medical College School of Medicine.
As of November, the students had completed their first three years of study in prescribed undergraduate premedical school curriculum and were five months into four years of medical school study.
It’s all part of the Medical School Early Acceptance Program (MSEAP), a collaboration between MTSU’s College of Basic and Applied Sciences and Meharry that launched with generous state support in 2018.
The program intends to increase the number of primary care physicians serving medically underserved populations as well as alleviate health care disparities in rural Tennessee.
Four other students are now in their third year of the program at MTSU. Eight are in their second year and four in their first, for a total of 20 program participants.
Maria Hite, left, of La Vergne; Claire Ritter of Nashville; Pierce Creighton of Lascassas; and Kirolos Michael of Brentwood are the first group from MTSU to complete their initial undergrad pre-med studies and head to Meharry Medical College’s School of Medicine.
