Michelle Murch is in her third year as Director of Digital Media at the Sun Conference and in her eighth year in the athletic communications office of her alma mater St. Thomas University.
Murch oversees the Sun Conference’s social media accounts and creative marketing strategies and provides overall strategic direction for the conference’s digital marketing campaigns.
At St. Thomas, her alma mater, she is responsible for creating digital content for all 19 varsity sports and is the key contact for marketing, branding and online communications as well as management of the gameday staff and student workers.
Murch earned her bachelor’s degree in 2017 and master’s degree in 2019, both in sports administration. Murch also played softball at the school and was a three-time Sun Conference All-Academic honoree and a 2017-18 NAIA Scholar Athlete.. She earned some of the NAIA’s top scholar-athlete honors, including the 2016 A.O Duer Award, 2017 LeRoy Walker Award and 2018 TSC Champions of Character honor.
Active in the community, Murch is a fundraiser volunteer with the Jason Taylor Foundation and a volunteer with the Sharing America’s Marrow non-profit focused on signing up volunteers for bone marrow donations for those fighting blood cancer and other bone marrow diseases.
Michelle Murch pictured with Sun Conference Commissioner, Dustin Wilke, and former STU Athletics Communications Manager Jon Leatherman at a St. Thomas soccer game in 2018.
You work as both Director of Digital Media for the Sun Conference and Director of Athletic Communications at St. Thomas - something that is a bit rare in the collegiate athletics communications industry but a little more common for NAIA SIDs. What is it like working two jobs in the same industry? What are some similarities and differences to how you approach each job?
MM: ?It is fun working both jobs and I find it very beneficial. Working for St. Thomas when we host opponents, I know much more just off the top of my head because I follow the conference teams on a regular basis. On one hand, I need to be non-biased on the conference level while hyping up my sports at STU on the other hand. For both jobs I just try to do my best to promote the student athletes as best as possible; on the conference level it is more about promoting the teams. Getting our school and conference brands out there is always my number one goal and it’s my goal to always do it at the highest level.
You have a big role with the social media platforms at both St. Thomas & the Sun Conference. What are the social strategies and/or points of emphasis for you with the conference accounts versus the school accounts? ?
MM: The conference account is not as much detailed-oriented as is our STU platform. For The Sun Conference, my focus is on what teams are doing, the bigger-picture things, mainly on the national level. I thankfully work in one of the best conferences in the NAIA so there are always tons of content to promote year-round with our teams from different institutions.
At the school level, my social focus is more on storytelling about our individual athletes, more about individual records and performances and the game-by-game breakdowns.
Michelle Murch pictured with mentors Laura Courtley-Todd and Phil de Montmollin at the STU soccer field setting up the scoreboard in 2017.
What are some of your favorite things about working with both St. Thomas & the Sun Conference? ?
MM: My favorite part is for sure are the people. On our SUN staff with Commissioner Dustin Wilke and (Director of Communications) Paul Dodson is always a great time. With my internal staff at St. Thomas, it is just like having another family. The coaches and administration really embrace the athletic communications department and put in the time and effort to help me help them and their programs. It is also just fun being around student-athletes and seeing their journey as people and as athletes.
You are an alumna of St. Thomas, where you played softball and earned team MVP honors in 2017. What was your experience like as a student-athlete there? What experiences from being a student-athlete do you apply today as a professional?
MM: ?I had a one-of-a-kind experience at St. Thomas. I am forever grateful to the University for giving me the ability to grow as a person and a professional. I try to give back as much as I can as a professional, I learned a lot from being a student-athlete and I try to give the students here that same opportunities, if not more, than what I was given.
It is always about what can get done better. It helps being at an institution that you were a part of as a young person, and help grow our history now as a professional. I do not have to do as much research as other SIDs might have to, because I got to experience St. Thomas live and in person. I can add that inside perspective that the outsiders are always looking for.
Michelle Murch playing shortstop during her senior year at St. Thomas (2018).
Your achievements include being a three-time Sun Conference All-Academic honoree and earning some major NAIA scholar-athlete recognition. How did your academic achievements, in addition to your achievements on the softball field, what helped you transition from being a student-athlete to working full-time in collegiate athletics?
MM: I have always put the “student” first in student-athlete. All the achievements just show that it is possible to accomplish balance and successes, and it helps me show proof to my student-workers and to any student-athlete that it can be done — and that it can be done with the tools and resources provided by St. Thomas. I hold my workers to the same level of accountability that I was held to. And, in a world where people are always questioned, I have the facts to back up what I preach to the student-athletes.
At St. Thomas you're responsible for digital content for all 26 sports, while at bigger schools most SIDs are dealing with a smaller amount of sports to manage. How do you prioritize and allocate time to each sport to make sure everyone still gets the coverage they need?
MM: Admittedly, ?it does get difficult to manage all the sports at once. I set a standard of what is required to be published and posted. I tell the coaches that they do not have to worry in-season, my communications team will have it covered. In their off-season, I tell them to send me a picture or video if they want something posted on out of season training, community service activities, etc. and will schedule it. My life saver is TweetDeck and Facebook Creator Studio; they allow me to schedule posts in advance for gameday's and starting lineups. My coaches are also very understanding and help me help them in these cases.
St. Thomas softball Media Day in 2019, the year after Michelle Murch graduated with her best friends who graduated the year after she did. L to R: Alliyah Sands, Murch, Melody Grafals, McKenna Delaware.
You have some experience from outside the collegiate athletics communications industry. You attended the Minor League Baseball (MiLB) Winter Meetings for two years (2016-18) and worked at the Homestead Motor Speedway (2014-18). What did you learn from those two experiences that help you today?
MM: ?From the MiLB Winter Meetings I learned that there is a lot of opportunity out there with these organizations. Also, often than not, the people who are doing the interviews were once the interviewee. It is about just establishing relationships to help you get into an organization — no matter at what level — and building from the ground up.
With the Homestead Motor Speedway, I learned about customer service and how to find a way to make the fan feel that they are getting taken care of. With the Speedway our focus on on the one big race weekend, but that is a special weekend to fans and one they want to remember and enjoy. I worked to just make sure they left happier than when they got there regardless of their favorite racer's outcome.
What challenges, if any, have you faced as a woman in the male-dominant industry of athletics and athletic communications?
MM: ?I have been very fortunate to learn and grow under a female administrator so since I jumped into the industry, I have always felt that I had a chance, no matter how big or small my opinion was heard and considered. With the people I work alongside now, their focus is, are you getting the job done and to what caliber? I have never felt judged or like I don't belong. That just shows the growth of this industry, and I am just thankful to the women before me who have made it the new norm to work in sports.
Michelle Murch fulfilled a lifelong dream last summer (2021) when she visited Fenway Park and watched the Boston Red Sox live.
If there was one place you could travel to right now, where would it be?
MM: ?If there was one place I could travel to right now it would be to Italy. I have found this new love for pasta and would love to go get an authentic bite with a beautiful view.
What’s your best advice for young female professionals beginning their careers in athletic communications? ?
MM: My best advice would be to just let your work do the talking for you. If you can get the job done and get it done right, the sky is the limit. Never let an opportunity be too small; dream big. Also, do not forget that it is okay to take time for yourself. Often, we feel like we must prove ourselves 24/7. Remember, there is enough work in this industry to last a lifetime, so live in the moment.