POTSDAM — Rylie (Murray) Firlit played two sports for SUNY Potsdam and proved to be one of the greatest playmakers to ever wear a Bears jersey.

Murray arrived on campus from her hometown of Berkley, Michigan, in the fall of 2015 to compete for Potsdam’s women’s soccer and women’s hockey programs.

Murray joined the soccer program as part of a formidable core that then-head coach, now Athletic Director Mark Misiak, was assembling. The program was making steady progress under Misiak, but hadn’t had a winning season since 2008 and had recorded only two since its inception in 1987. Murray was part of a class that included fellow Hall of Famer and future All-American Brooke Falsion, all-conference selection Olivia Seamans, Sarah Erno, Amber Hyatt, Rachael Venne and Lauren Vedete.

The Bears dropped their season opener at Clarkson on Sept. 1, 2015, but then rattled off seven straight victories to establish a program record. Murray picked up her first point with an assist in a 2-1 win at Johnson State on Sept. 9. The Bears finished the season with a 9-8-1 record. While adjusting to the game, the midfielder closed out her debut campaign with two assists.

With the fall season over, Murray hit the ice. She quickly established herself as a solid defenseman while providing offense. Murray scored her first collegiate goal in either sport in a 5-2 win over Saint Michael’s on Halloween. She added a goal and an assist in a 4-2 victory at William Smith two weeks later. At New England College on Dec. 2, Murray netted the game-winning goal in a 3-1 decision. She finished the season with eight points on four goals and four assists as the team went 9-14-2.

The women’s soccer team opened the 2016 season on another 7-1 tear, and Murray’s offense began to emerge. She had a goal and an assist in back-to-back wins over Utica and Johnson. She added two assists in a victory at Elmira and broke out with a goal and two assists in a 4-0 shutout against Fredonia. Murray finished her second year on the pitch with 17 points on four goals and nine assists. The Bears posted their second consecutive winning season with a 9-7-2 record.

Murray helped the women’s hockey team return to the playoffs in 2016-17 after a three-year absence. She contributed seven points from the blue line, with two goals and five assists.

The 2017 women’s soccer team finally broke through, and Murray played a big part in its success. She scored the Bears’ first goal of the season just 2 minutes, 11 seconds into the D’Youville Spartan Classic. Nearly 112 minutes later, she buried the game-winner against the hosts in double overtime. A week and a half later, Murray was awarded a penalty kick against powerful Montclair State in the second overtime of the New England College Tournament championship. She converted the kick to give her team the tournament title.

The hot start continued throughout the season. A 1-0 victory at Buffalo State clinched Potsdam’s first-ever SUNYAC playoff berth and gave the team a program-record 12th victory. Murray topped her previous season high with 22 points on seven goals and eight assists. The performance earned her second-team All-SUNYAC honors.

That winter, the Bears posted a 12-12-2 record and returned to the NEWHL playoffs. Murray had a goal and five assists and finished plus-four on the ice. Her major contribution was helping the Bears allow a program-record-low 2.17 goals per game.

The 2018 women’s soccer team was loaded with talent and had experience winning and playing in the postseason. The Bears started 7-1 for the third time in four years. On Sept. 29, Murray scored the game-winner in a 3-0 shutout at Plattsburgh, giving the program its first-ever victory over the Cardinals in 32 meetings. Two games later, she scored twice, including another game-winner, in a 3-1 win against Oswego. She added a goal and two assists at New Paltz on Oct. 12 and repeated that performance against Buffalo State a week later.

The Bears returned to the playoffs as the No. 3 seed and hosted Fredonia on Oct. 27. Murray recorded her final assist as the Bears routed the Blue Devils 5-0 to advance to the semifinals. She wrapped up her soccer career with eight goals and 13 assists for 29 points. She was named first-team All-SUNYAC and joined Falsion in earning all-region honors a month later. Murray finished as the program’s all-time assists leader with 32, second in games played with 74, fourth in points with 70 and ninth in goals with 19.

In her final hockey season, Murray totaled a career-high 11 points with three goals and eight assists. The Bears defeated Oswego 1-0 in their home finale to clinch their third straight playoff berth and their first-ever home playoff game. Murray assisted on the contest’s lone goal. Conference coaches recognized her defensive skills and selected her to the first-team All-NEWHL squad. In 98 career games on the ice, she totaled 10 goals and 22 assists for 32 points.

By May 2019, Murray had earned four all-conference selections across two sports, one all-region selection, a spot on the SUNYAC Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll in all four years and AHCA All-American Scholar status. Her long list of accolades made her an easy choice for the Maxcy/Molnar Award as the top senior female athlete. A week later, Murray graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in psychology. She was also recognized by Sigma Beta Delta, the international honor society for business, management and administration.

Shortly after graduation, Murray moved to Queensbury and accepted an account manager position with Bolton Landing Brewing Company, where she has worked ever since. She married her college sweetheart, former men’s soccer captain Ben Firlit, in 2025. The couple welcomed their daughter, Willow, in July.

On Saturday night, Murray was inducted as one of 145 individuals in the Bears Hall of Fame.