For many athletes, getting into a Division I program means they have made it. They gain access to cutting edge facilities, experienced coaches and a path to the pros. For junior softball player Cate Murray, D-I was not the right fit.
Data published by the NCAA in 2023 shows that 3% of transferring D-I athletes moved to D-III schools, decreasing to only 1% of transferring D-I softball players. Murray spent two years playing for the D-I Colgate University Raiders before joining the Bombers in Fall 2024.
Murray said a large part of her decision to transfer to Ithaca College was its academics. She is getting her degree in sports media, which was not offered at Colgate, where she double majored in psychological science and educational studies.
Murray said she also plans to get her MBA in entertainment and media management at IC. Since she received a medical redshirt in March 2024, she is eligible for an extra year of play. Murray said she wanted to go to a school where she could play three years while setting herself up for a successful career.
“It works out perfectly, especially if I want to go into opening my own media company one day,” Murray said. “Everything just kind of fell into place, and [IC] had everything I was looking for.”
The biggest difference Murray has noticed since transferring is her schedule. She said she has been able to focus on her classes and extracurriculars outside of softball.
“We would go to South Carolina, California, Florida, Virginia. … It was a really hard turnaround academically,” Murray said. “You’d leave on a Thursday morning, you’d miss class, get back late on Sunday and you’d have to go to class on Monday.”
Time away from the field has allowed Murray to collaborate with Ithaca College Athletics Creative Media. Murray interned in athletic communications at Colgate, and graphic design for the Cape Cod Baseball League, so she entered the team with a strong background in creating team graphics and social media accounts.
At IC, Murray has designed scoreboard graphics and taken photos for Cornell University’s women’s ice hockey. She said it has been a great experience to work in such a professional environment as a student.
Senior Evan Volkman, content lead and executive staff member of the Creative Media team, said he has enjoyed working with Murray and her skill set.
“She was very eager and interested to get involved and to get into projects,” Volkman said. “I’d basically give her a little brief, … but we’d really let her vision shine through within our brand guidelines.”
Volkman said Murray’s experience as an athlete brings a unique perspective to her work. He said that although only a handful of varsity athletes are a part of the team, he tries to involve them in other ways.
“Athletes will send me stuff that they see other schools doing and they think is cool,” Volkman said. “I’ll also bounce ideas off the captains and coaches like, ‘Hey, I saw this. We could implement something like this,’ so that open communication is definitely big.”
With Murray directly involved with the team, she is able to gain experience for the workforce and help shape the softball team’s image, which she said has been incredibly rewarding.
On the field, Murray has been a powerhouse. She leads the team in total bases and has started in every game in the 2025 season. She has a .384 batting average, over double the .140 average from her time at Colgate. Murray has shined as a selfless player, leading the team with four bunts in 25 games at IC compared to three bunts in 42 games at Colgate.
Murray said she attributes her growth to her teammates. She said their team motto, “one-p,” which encourages players to get 1% better every day, has shaped her work ethic.
“We play as a family, we compete as a family,” Murray said. “The accountability and the effort of everyone around me makes it really easy to want to get better every day. Honestly, I think our team culture is just built for people to grow and get better and push each other.”
One constant in Murray’s adjustment to IC was the softball’s coaching staff. She reached out to head coach Kelly Robichaud and assistant coach Payton Cutting over the summer to talk about her place within the team. Murray said the duo did a great job helping her settle in.
“From the moment I stepped on campus for my visit back in May, [Robichaud and Cutting] made it feel like home,” Murray said. “It was really easy for me to transition here, and then once I got on campus, my class was so welcoming and excited to have me.”
Murray has also become close with her teammates. She said she is in a unique position because she’s completing her graduate degree at IC, so she will graduate with the current sophomores, but she went through orientation in August with first-year students. Murray said that all her teammates, no matter their year, made sure she was acclimating to the IC community.
Robichaud said she is proud of the team’s efforts to incorporate Murray.
“That’s what the fall is about,” Robichaud said. “You take that time to build connections and friendships, and then you get to go play with those people in the spring. We’re very adamant about that process starting early.”
When it comes to the future, Murray continues to strive for excellence. She recently announced that she will begin an 11-month Business Development Program with the MLB in August, where she will get hands-on experience in the sports media field. As for softball, Robichaud said Murray brings a great energy and she looks forward to seeing how Murray grows with the team.
“She’s talented,” Robichaud said. “We’re very lucky to have her, but I think she’s going to continue to emerge and be really strong for us.”
