Our Blue Raider athletics programs consistently achieve championship success, postseason play, and student success. Here are some recent highlights:
Spring 2026 Athletic Academic Update
During the Spring 2026 semester, 12 of 15 teams had a semester team grade point average of 3.0 or higher; 162 student-athletes made the Dean鈥檚 List (3.5+ GPA); and 78 achieved a perfect 4.0. Overall, 246 of 342 student-athletes earned a 3.0 or higher (72%).
High Marks in Latest Academic Progress Rate
Each of MTSU鈥檚 17 athletic teams has earned a multiyear Academic Progress Rate (APR) of over 950 from 2021鈥�22 to 2024鈥�25 as the National Collegiate Athletic Association released its annual report in May. Blue Raiders sports teams have now had at least a 930 (out of 1,000) for all our sports for 16 years running. The most recent APR averaged scores from four academic years through 2024鈥�25. MTSU had 11 of 15 sports (indoor and outdoor track count as one) with a 970 on the multiyear report, with volleyball posting a perfect grade of 1000. In addition to high levels of success in the multiyear APR, 10 of 15 sports received scores of 970 or higher in the 2024鈥�25 single-year APR, with eight teams boasting perfect marks. The programs turning in a score of 1,000 were men鈥檚 basketball, men鈥檚 golf, women鈥檚 basketball, women鈥檚 cross country, women鈥檚 golf, women鈥檚 softball, women鈥檚 tennis, and volleyball.
Matt Insell Named Women鈥檚 Hoops Head Coach
Following Hall of Famer Rick Insell鈥檚 decision to retire at the end of the 2025鈥�26 season, MTSU named Matt Insell as the next leader of the women鈥檚 basketball program. Insell, an MTSU alum like his father, becomes the eighth head coach in program history.
A native of Shelbyville, Insell had served on his father鈥檚 staff since 2018. He previously was head coach at Ole Miss for five seasons and an assistant at Kentucky, where he was part of four NCAA Tournament squads, including three Elite Eight teams.
CUSA Meet High Scorer and Sprint Records
Sophomore Mustapha Bokpin won two events at the Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, hosted at MTSU, to capture men鈥檚 High Point Scorer honors. Bokpin electrified the track with a personal best of 9.94 seconds in the 100 meters, meeting the Olympic qualifying standard, breaking the meet record, and soaring to No. 5 in the 2026 Division I College Outdoor Rankings. He followed up with a dominant win in the 200-meter race, setting another personal and meet record at 20.26 seconds.
Women鈥檚 Golfweek Spring Challenge Crown
The MTSU women鈥檚 golf program brought home a second team crown for the first time since 2015鈥�16, ending their regular season by winning the Golfweek Spring Challenge. In a difficult final round, the Blue Raiders shot 297 to finish at 876. Isabella Johnson led the way for the team in her eighth-straight tournament with a final-round 71 and tied for fifth with a two-over-par 215, her fifth top-five finish of her magical sophomore season. With the win, MTSU claimed the final spot in the inaugural Haskins Women鈥檚 Intercollegiate this fall. Johnson鈥檚 later top-15 finish in the NCAA regional marked the best for an individual qualifier in MTSU history, and she set two single-season program records with 19 rounds at par or better and a 72.23 scoring average.
Blue Raider Taken in NFL Draft
Blue Raider linebacker Parker Hughes, a former walk-on player, was selected in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars in April. Hughes was the 240th overall pick and the first MTSU player to get drafted since Richie James went in the seventh round in 2018 to the 49ers (also the 240th pick). Hughes, a team captain and second-team All-CUSA performer last season, competed in 46 games and had 27 starts for the Blue Raiders. He ended his career with 251 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, and eight pass breakups. The Elizabethton native had a career-best and team-high 100 tackles in 2025. Hughes became the 33rd Blue Raider to be drafted by the NFL and the 19th defensive player.
Seventh Straight CUSA Men鈥檚 Tennis Title
The MTSU men鈥檚 tennis team won the Conference USA Championship with a 4-2 victory over Liberty on April 19 at the Outdoor Tennis Complex. It marked the seventh straight championship for the Blue Raiders and earned them another trip to the NCAA Regionals.
37 Student-Athlete Honor Society Inductees
MTSU inducted 37 student-athletes into the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society, which recognizes college students who earn a varsity letter in at least one sport while maintaining a 3.5 or higher cumulative GPA throughout their junior and senior years. Baseball had the most inductees (8), followed by women鈥檚 track (7); football (6); women鈥檚 golf, softball, and women鈥檚 tennis (3 each); men鈥檚 tennis and men鈥檚 track (2 each); and men鈥檚 basketball, women鈥檚 basketball, and soccer (1 each).