June 30, 2015 Dear Bears Fans-
I hope you are enjoying the summer. Many of our summer youth camps are in full swing, and plans are already underway for the upcoming season. As always, I want to bring you up to speed on some things you may have missed and highlight some accomplishments that are worth repeating as we put a bow on the 2014-15 school year.
We had a very successful commencement with a record 73 spring graduates this past year. We also had the best year academically we have had on record with a collective 3.11 spring semester GPA for all of our student-athletes. Congratulations goes out to our student-athletes, coaches and the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Academic Achievement Center staff, led by Dan Raines. I'm very proud of this milestone, and as many of you know -- my first goal is to win on the field of competition and in the classroom. They are not mutually exclusive.
We recorded another record in terms of "giving back". Our student-athletes, coaches and staff accumulated over 2,600 hours of community service in 2014-15. We have increased this number for the past five years and will continue to do so in the upcoming year. You don't hear enough about our contributions to the community, but I can assure you our students make a difference. We enjoy helping, and we're always looking for more ways to be engaged in the community.
We had so many great accomplishments this year, it's hard to mention them all. Let me try and hit some of the most significant ones:
* Women's volleyball standout Lily Johnson was not only our first freshmen player to earn All-America honors, but she was named to the prestigious NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Board. She will represent our institution and conference at the national level. Lily is the first MSU student to achieve this recognition. She will do great, and I'm anxious to work with her on issues that confront our students on a national level.
* In football, we stepped up our pregame festivities with the overhaul of Bearfest Village. Moving our pregame tailgating area to the middle of campus proved to be a tremendous hit. The atmosphere surrounding our games was unlike any we have ever had. Coupled with the stadium renovations, MSU football game days were the place to be. Look for some additional changes again this year with Coach "Stec" pushing us forward and helping everyone enjoy the fan experience
* In addition to the renovations at Plaster Stadium, this year was so special with our other new facilities as well. The Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium was built to accommodate soccer and track, and Betty and Bobby Allison North Stadium is now the home of our field hockey program. These facilities have changed the landscape and the profile of these programs and the university itself.
* Missouri State finished third in the MVC All-Sport standings. This was a significant improvement over the past year and a real testament to the quality of our programs across the board. Congratulations to men's soccer, baseball and women's swimming for winning MVC titles this year.
* Speaking of swimming, congratulations are due to seniors Paul Le and Garrett Nevels and junior Uvis Kalnins for qualifying for the NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships in Iowa City. This was our largest contingent of national qualifiers in the Division I era, and they represented our program with class at nationals. * The reinstatement of our women's tennis program was significant to our continued commitment to Title IX and gender equity on our campus. In an age when many colleges and universities are cutting back, our administration did what was best for women's athletics. Congratulations to Coach Mallory Weber and our team on their successes during the team's inaugural return season.
* It was hard not to see, hear or notice our campus wide campaign to support softball player Allie Alvstad this year. The "Allie Strong" gained national attention after she was diagnosed with leukemia prior to the softball season. The outpouring of support was not only gratifying but appreciated by our softball team and certainly Allie and her family. This was an incredible story with a very happy ending. We look forward to Allie returning to the diamond and swinging for the fences in the upcoming year. We are very thankful we had coaches Hesse, Perine and Frederick leading our team during this difficult time. Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!
* Much has already been said and documented about the incredible season we just completed in baseball. The team rallied the community and the region with their season-long performance, winning 40 of their last 46 games, winning MVC and regional titles and earning a No. 8 national seed for the NCAA Tournament. I won't mention all their accolades, but I do feel like this team will go down as one of the best teams in Missouri State history. I'm so proud of how they handled themselves on and off the field. They represented our school with great pride and class and came up just a run short of their quest to return to Omaha.
* Finally, I'm pleased to announce we have entered into a new agreement with Learfield Sports. Learfield is our multimedia rights holder that handles radio, television and sponsorships. This agreement adds an additional 9 years to our existing agreement. As part of the deal our annual guaranteed rights increases incrementally over the term, our trade allowance threshold increased and monies have been earmarked for a full-time marketing position. In addition, Learfield will be funding a new state-of-the-art LED ribbon board for JQH Arena. The ribbon board will be up and functional for the start of the 2015-16 basketball season. It is my hope that with the addition to the ribbon board we will increase revenues and improve the game day atmosphere. We want to thank Learfield and look forward to continuing our great partnership.
Season tickets for football are already selling at a very good clip. If you haven't renewed, I encourage you to do so soon. Chairback seats are going very quickly. Let's BearUp and sell those out before the season starts. The first game is Sept. 12 vs. Chadron State at Plaster Stadium at 2 p.m. It will be a "White Out" so get your BearWear early to start the season off right in white. We need to have a sell out and show Coach Stec and the team what Bear football is all about.
Enjoy the rest of the summer, and we'll see you back on campus soon!!
Go Bears! Kyle Moats
