Murray State Athletics is saddened to learn that Racer Hall of Famer and longtime supporter and friend, Dennis Jackson, has passed away.

 

Jackson, who is the namesake of the Dennis Jackson Leadership Program, was an accomplished student-athlete for the Racers from 1960-64, competing as a receiver, tailback and safety in football and was an excellent performer in track & field.

 

“I had the privilege of knowing Mr. Jackson for many years as a personal friend, and the impact that he had on so many lives will be dearly missed,” former Board of Regents Chairman Leon Owens said. “He was the epitome of a servant leader, and went above and beyond for his students, colleagues, teammates and all that crossed paths with him. This is truly a sad day for the Murray State community, and I extend my deepest condolences and my heartfelt prayers to his family.”

 

The Dennis Jackson Leadership Program (DJLP), which was implemented in January 2023, provides the needed tools to Murray State student-athletes in the areas of personal growth, life skills and professional development. From recruitment through retirement, the program is a guide for student-athletes to be successful by focusing on career readiness, leadership & civic engagement, brand management, financial literacy and mental health.

 

“On behalf of Murray State University, we would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to the Jackson family as they cope with the loss of Dennis Jackson,” University President Dr. Ron Patterson said. “Dennis is forever engrained in the history of our institution, and his impact will have a lasting effect on generations of Racers to come thanks to his contributions as an educator and as a Hall of Fame student-athlete.”

 

Since the DJLP started, the department has broken numerous records in community engagement, including more than 1,400 community service hours, and has impacted the personal lives of numerous student-athletes, all in part to the values instilled by Jackson on a daily basis.

 

“We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of our dear friend Dennis Jackson,” Director of Athletics Nico Yantko said. “Dennis truly exemplified what it meant to be a Racer, not only during his time as a student-athlete, but throughout his storied career as an educator and a mentor. He will forever be remembered through our Dennis Jackson Leadership Program, which continues to positively impact each of our student-athletes on a daily basis, and will have a lasting impact on generations of student-athletes for years to come. Our thoughts are with the entire Jackson family, and all who knew him, during this difficult time.”

 

In 1960, Jackson became the first African American student-athlete at MSU. He was an all-around player competing as a receiver, tailback and safety in football and was an excellent performer in track & field.

 

Jackson was recruited to Murray State by coach Bill Furgerson, where he played as an all-around football player competing on offense and defense. One of the amazing moments of his career occurred in his final homecoming game against Tennessee Tech at Cutchin Stadium in 1964, when he scored the tying and game-winning touchdowns in the fourth quarter in the 28-21 win for the Racers.

 

Jackson was MSU’s top receiver in 1964, leading the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. An All-Ohio Valley Conference selection in 1964, he held numerous receiving records for Racer Football when he finished his senior season.

 

In track & field, Jackson was an excellent sprinter in the 100-yard and 200-yard events and was part of the Racers’ Ohio Valley Conference champion 4×100 relay team that had the best time in the southeast region.

 

The desire to participate in athletics never left Jackson even when his playing days were done. He served as a high school basketball official for 25 years and called numerous games in 15 years at the Kentucky State Tournament. Jackson was inducted into the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 1999.

 

He graduated from Murray State with degrees in history and physical education and began a 40-plus year career as a teacher, coach and administrator until his retirement from Paducah Public Schools in 2008.

 

Murray State inducted Jackson into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007 and recognized him as its Distinguished Alumnus in 2016.

 

Information regarding funeral arrangements will shared at a later time.

 

World Championships: Florian Wellbrock, Moesha Johnson Double Up with 5k Titles

Make it World Championships doubles for Germany’s Florian Wellbrock and Australia’s Moesha Johnson, as the open-water stars captured gold medals in the 5k events on Friday in Singapore. The latest victories from Wellbrock and Johnson complemented their victories on Wednesday in the 10k races and solidified their standing as the best open-water swimmers in the world.

Wellbrock captured his third world title in the 5 k event behind a time of 57:26.4, which was nearly three seconds faster than Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri (57:29.3), who was also the silver medalist in the 10k. The bronze medal went to Frenchman Marc-Antoine Olivier in 57:30.4. The gold medal was the eighth of Wellbrock’s World Champs career, with seven coming in open-water competition and one from the 1500 freestyle in 2019.

“I didn’t expect (this result) because I felt really tired after the 10k and we had just like 24 hours to recover,” Wellbrock said. “But luckily, everybody was tired because everybody competed in the 10k before. With these conditions, it’s tough because the human body isn’t made for racing in 30-degree water. So, I’m really happy with my gold.”

Photo Courtesy: World Aquatics

On the women’s side, Johnson fended off Italian Ginevra Taddeucci down the stretch, winning in 1:02:01.3. Johnson followed up her crown in the 10k by edging Taddeucci (1:02:02.3) by a second. Japan’s Ichika Kajimoto was the bronze medalist, finishing in 1:02:28.9. Taddeucci made several attempts to overtake Johnson in the latter stages of the race, but the Aussie had an answer each time.

“I was really tired today, so I wanted to try and guarantee myself a medal as early on as possible and there were just a couple of opportunities with some tight turns,” Johnson said. “If I didn’t make the break then, I don’t know what would have happened at the end. But once the group behind me was only Ginevra on my feet, it was much easier. But that was still a really challenging race. The 5k is much more intense so the heat was just felt a lot more today.”

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Tyler Burdorff takes over a Cal throws program that has produced 79 All-America honors in its 103-year history.

T&F7/18/2025 2:58 PM | By: Cal Athletics

9-Year Coaching Veteran Has Produced 2 National Record-Holders, 7 All-Americans

California Director of Cross Country/Track & Field Robyne Johnson has announced the addition of Tyler Burdorff to the Golden Bears’ staff as an assistant coach to lead the team’s throws unit. Burdorff arrives at Cal from Maryland, where he coached for four years in the competitive Big Ten Conference and produced a pair of national records as well as two All-Americans, four USA Track & Field (USATF) Indoor Championships finalists and three major U20 championships qualifiers.
 
“We are delighted to announce Tyler as our new assistant coach for Cal throws,” Johnson said. “Tyler stood out during the interview process, not only for his coaching acumen but also for the bond he has forged with his student-athletes and his unwavering commitment to helping them grow, both competitively and personally. We are thrilled to launch a new era for Cal throws with Tyler leading the way.”
 

Burdorff’s four years with the Terrapins (2022-25) saw him coach javelin throwers Kayla Thorpe (Barbados) and Mekhi Abbott (Virgin Islands) to national records, as well as a Barbados national title and championships meet record for Thorpe in 2024. In total, he produced two Second-Team All-Americans, an All-America Honorable Mention, 14 NCAA first round qualifiers, a Big 10 bronze medal, four USA Track & Field (USATF) Indoor Championships finalists, a European U20 Championships qualifier, two U20 Championships qualifiers and seven school records at Maryland.
 
Burdorff launched his Division I coaching career at Towson, where he led his athletes to an outdoor shot put school record, three NCAA first round qualifiers, two individual conference titles and three Coastal Athletic Association silver medalists.
 
His first full-time coaching role came at his graduate alma mater of Ithaca College, where he led the throws program from 2019-20 and took on the role of assistant coordinator of facilities, events and equipment after spending the 2018 season as a volunteer assistant at Cornell, where he aided in the development of an NCAA first round qualifier, two Ivy League champions and a school record in the shot put. His first foray into the world of coaching came while he was pursuing his master’s degree (human performance with a concentration in exercise and sport sciences) at Ithaca, where he acted as a graduate assistant for the 2017 season. That year, he aided thrower Brandy Smith to an NCAA Division III discus title and an indoor shot put runner-up finish to help the team place second at the indoor and outdoor national championships. In his combined three years with the Bombers, Burdorff’s athletes produced four school records, four All-American honors, five regional titles and 18 conference titles.
 

Burdorff graduated with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and pre-physical therapy from Baldwin Wallace in 2016, where he was a three-year starter at middle linebacker as well as a thrower for the Yellow Jackets. As a senior, he was the NCAA Division III runner-up in both the hammer and weight throw. Burdorff also holds certifications from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as a Throws Event Specialist and a Strength & Conditioning Specialist. Since September 2024, Burdorff has coached two-time Greek Olympian hammer thrower Stamatia Scarvelis.
 
Burdoff replaces longtime Cal throws coach Mohamad Saatara, who departed in June after 12 years in Berkeley.
 
“I am extremely excited to join Robyne Johnson and her staff here at Cal,” Burdorff said. “There is a rich history of track & field in California, especially in Berkeley, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of it. I am also excited for the challenge of maintaining and building off the success that Coach Mo produced before me at Cal. I want to thank Coach Johnson for the opportunity and I can’t wait to get started.”
 
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TRENTON, N.J. — A transgender woman has sued Princeton University claiming she was illegally removed shortly before her race in a school-hosted track meet in May due to her gender identity.

An attorney for Sadie Schreiner filed the complaint in New Jersey Superior Court on Tuesday, listing the school along with athletic director John Mack and director of track operations Kimberly Keenan-Kirkpatrick as defendants. The lawsuit also lists New York-based Leone Timing and Results Services as a defendant in its role of handling official timing for organized track and field events.

The lawsuit comes more than five months after the NCAA changed its participation policy for transgender athletes to limit competition in women’s sports to athletes assigned female at birth. That change came a day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to ban transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports.

Schreiner, who had transitioned during high school, had previously run for Division III Rochester Institute of Technology but was set to compete as an athlete unattached to any school or club in the Larry Ellis Invitational. The complaint seeks unspecified damages for a “humiliating, dehumanizing and dignity-stripping ordeal” in front of family and friends.

The complaint cites New Jersey anti-discrimination law barring discrimination for being transgender, with schools considered areas of “public accommodation.”

“We stand by the allegations in the pleading,” Schreiner attorney Susie Cirilli told The Associated Press on Friday. “As stated in the complaint, the defendants’ individual actions were intolerable in a civilized community and go beyond the possible bounds of decency.”

Princeton’s media and athletics officials as well as Leone Timing did not return emails from the AP seeking comment.

According to the complaint, Schreiner originally signed up to run the 100- and 200-meter races before later declaring only for the 200 despite registering and qualifying for both races. The complaint says she learned 15 minutes before her race that her name had been removed from the official list of competitors, then raised the issue with Leone Timing officials before being directed to Mack and Keenan-Kirkpatrick.

During that exchange, the complaint states, Keenan-Kirkpatrick said, “I do not want to assume, but you are transgender.” Additionally, Keenan-Kirkpatrick “further suggested that she had tried to organize a separate segregated event just for Sadie so that she could run” while Schreiner provided a birth certificate and driver’s license recognizing her as a female, according to the complaint.

According to her Instagram page, Schreiner said she was “barred” from running in a February track event at Boston University as an unattached athlete following the Trump order and NCAA policy change.

The nationwide battle over transgender girls on girls’ and women’s sports teams has played out at both the state and federal levels as Republicans have leveraged the issue as a fight for athletic fairness. More than two dozen states have enacted laws barring transgender women and girls from participating in certain sports competitions. Some policies have been blocked in court.