Murray State Athletics Partners with Short’s Travel for Seamless Team Travel Management

Murray State Athletics has entered into an exciting new partnership with Short’s Travel Management (Short’s), a premier provider of collegiate sports travel management solutions. This collaboration is set to enhance the efficiency and reliability of travel logistics for the Racers, ensuring a smooth and professional experience for student-athletes and staff alike.

Through this agreement, Short’s Travel will coordinate all facets of team travel, including commercial flights, air and bus charters, ground transportation, and hotel accommodations for individuals and groups. By implementing their specialized offsite designated agent model, Short’s Travel will provide Murray State with a streamlined process, allowing teams to focus on competition rather than the complexities of travel.

"Reliable and efficient travel arrangements are crucial for any athletic program, and we’re thrilled to bring our expertise to Murray State University," said David LeCompte, CEO of Short’s Travel. "Our team is committed to delivering customized solutions that simplify logistics, control costs, and ensure student-athletes and coaches experience stress-free travel."

“We are constantly exploring new efficiencies for our athletic programs, and Short’s Travel provides enhanced logistical support and quality service for each of our teams and staff while travelling in the future,” Director of Athletics Nico Yantko said. “This collaboration with Short’s Travel significantly enhances our ability to provide first-class travel experiences for each of our programs. Their industry expertise, cutting-edge technology, and dedication to service will enable us to optimize travel logistics while keeping our focus on performance and student-athlete success. I want to thank Brock Rydecki, Tamela Darnell, Matt Kelly, and many others on our staff who helped get this process finalized. We are thrilled to begin this exciting partnership in the 2025-26 athletics season.”

With Murray State continuing to expand and elevate its athletic programs, the partnership with Short’s Travel represents a strategic step toward greater efficiency and support for teams on the road. By leveraging Short’s extensive experience in sports travel management, the Racers will benefit from seamless coordination, allowing student-athletes to stay focused on preparing for competition.

About Short’s Travel Management

Short’s Travel Management is a family-owned and majority woman-owned private corporation, led by CEO David LeCompte. In 2020, Short’s strategically pivoted to exclusively serve collegiate athletics, solidifying its position as the fastest growing provider for athletic teams.

With a client portfolio that is over 95% collegiate sports, Short’s supports over 16,000 games, meets, and tournaments annually, assisting more than 200 athletic departments with their regular season travel, in addition to exclusively managing championship travel for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 

The Short’s logistics team orchestrates more air charters, commercial air, ground transportation, and group hotel accommodations than any other provider in the collegiate team space. Comprised of former collegiate athletes, coaches, business operations and logistics staff, pilots, hotel leaders, gate agents, and dispatchers, Short’s understands firsthand the demands of this sector and the critical importance of teams arriving on time.

About Murray State Athletics

Murray State University Athletics competes at the NCAA Division I level as a proud member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). With a rich tradition of excellence, the Racers are committed to fostering a winning culture both on and off the field. The program emphasizes sportsmanship, integrity, and academic achievement, providing student-athletes with the resources and opportunities to excel at the highest level.

Based in Murray, Kentucky, the Racers represent Murray State University (MSU) in intercollegiate athletics. Their football program competes in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), and since the 2022–23 academic year, the Racers have been a primary member of the MVC and MVFC. With a strong legacy of competitive success and a deep connection to the Racer community, Murray State Athletics continues to build champions in sport, academics, and life.