First and Ben

 By Ben Anderson      Marshall Men’s Track & Field broke two records in the team’s outdoor season opener at the Hurricane Invitational hosted by the University of Miami with the 4x100 relay team breaking the record twice and Senior Addison Painter breaking the long jump record. Director of Track & Field and Cross-Country Keith Roberts said that the performances show the strength of the program across all events.        “We have a lot of depth,” Roberts said in an interview with First and Ben. “We really don’t rely on one person and that’s kind of the philosophy since we’ve been coaching, and it shows, and they work hard. A lot of guys and women as well that want to get it done and they don’t make excuses. They don’t complain about which relay they’re on, they just go after it and then they try to be the next person.”      Painter broke the long jump outdoor record with a jump of 7.55 meters breaking Khamisi Jackson’s re...

 By Ben Anderson      For Marshall track & field’s sprints group, what stands out the most is its depth with its high number of underclassmen.      One of the returning stars on the men’s team in sophomore Isaiah Harper said that the progression of the underclassman has been smooth thus far.      “I’ve seen them progress a lot,” Harper said. “It’s crazy some of the progression when you them first come in and not used to it at all.”      “Now we’re more than half the way done and it’s looking pretty routine to them,” Harper said. “They’ve bought in and put in the extra work.”      Harper said that the biggest strength of leading the team is the power of positivity.       “I just to be positive, uplift people,” Harper said. “It’s very hard work sometimes. So rather that’s just making jokes or just letting them know that everybody’s here for a reason.”       One of th...

 By Ben Anderson      Rebecca Merritt has been the top thrower for Marshall Track & Field for the past few years, but her illustrious career came to a close at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships.      This paved the door for younger throwers such as junior and Huntington, West Virginia native Markayla Moore to step up and take on the leadership role.       Moore said that the team will be forever grateful for the impact that Merritt and athletes before her left on the team.      “She’s definitely left her mark on all of us,” Moore said. “They were great women before her, like Mary (Maryann Adebayo). They just paved the way for us. They showed us the confidence and how to be a good teammate.”      Moore credited Maryann Adebayo’s leadership for her success.      “My freshman year when Mary took me under her wing, she showed me what is was like to actually be a D1 athlete,” Mo...

 By Ben Anderson      Marshall Track & Field’s jumpers have been putting in the work for the long-awaited outdoor season.      “We’ve been going heavy since we got back from conference (Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships),” senior jumper Addison Painter said. “We’ve really have had no days off; a lot of those days that would have been easier days have been harder days. We’ve been hard on the technicality of the events.”      With the jumpers, there are many different goals for the outdoor season in mind.      “Me personally, I’m picking up a couple of more events,” Painter said. “Going into triple jump, going into Jav (Javelin Throw) a little bit, so hopefully can add some more points for the team.”      “My goals would be to podium in the heptathlon,” junior combined events athlete Lara Check said. “I like to have the 200 (meter dash) and the jav (javelin throw) come into play. I’ll definitely be ...

 By Ben Anderson      The Marshall Cross Country team is coming off a historic indoor season with graduate student Kylee Mastin winning three gold medals at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships.             The Herd now has to rely on its younger runners to carry on the momentum, as Mastin’s career ended after the meet due to the Covid-19 eligibility rules.            Sophomore Taylor Spencer is just one of the many female runners who learned from Mastin and credited her and others before her for the team’s success.           “There is a very long list of things that I learned from Kylie (Mastin), Abby (Herring) and Mckenna (Woodruff),” Spencer said. “I’m going to miss their presence here, but they kind of taught us how to be train like an athlete, how to work like a student athlete, and ultimately how to be a good competitor.”       ...

 By Ben Anderson      This weekend, Marshall softball begins its first home slate at Dot Hicks Field for the 2025 season with Marshall March Madness.      The Herd plays six games in three days, with Loyola Chicago on Friday and Sunday, Buffalo on Friday and Saturday, and Valparaiso on Saturday and Sunday.      The Herd dropped four of its five games in Norman, Okla. at the Norman Tournament last weekend. Marshall lost two games to both the Kansas Jayhawks and Oklahoma Sooners, but managed to defeat the Missouri-Kansas City Roos.      Marshall enters with a record of 6-11, being 215-103-2 at Dot Hicks Field in its current location on 3rd Avenue.      The Loyola Chicago Ramblers are 3-15 and led by senior infielder Bella Crimaldi who has a .354 batting average with 17 hits and five RBIs.      The Buffalo Bulls are 2-12 and led by freshman Emily Gorman who has a .429 batting average with a home ...

By Ben Anderson      Marshall Track & Field made history over the weekend at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor championships as graduate student Kylee Mastin became the most decorated athlete in the history of the program. Cross County head coach Caleb Bowen said that Mastin has come a long way since arriving at Marshall.      "I've never met a better mind than Kylee Mastin," Bowen said in a interview with First and Ben. "She is so calculated, she knows exactly when she needs to make moves, when she needs to throw in surges, but she is also very coachable."      Mastin won the women’s 1 mile, 3k and DMR, and became the only athlete in program history to become a four-time individual champion. Bowen said what stands out about Mastin the most is her competitive style. "What a picture perfect way your career," Bowen said. "She came into Marshall as a sophomore. She was a transfer from Ball State. She came in hurt with a stress fracture and we s...

 By Ben Anderson      After scoring a season-high 12 runs against the Fairleigh Dickenson Knights in a game two victory, Marshall baseball aims to bring out the brooms for the first time at Jack Cook Field.      The Herd scored 6 of its 12 runs off just one hit in the fifth inning as three runs were scored with two outs on a fielding error in left field.      Marshall enters the matchup having won three in a row and four of its last five games. Fairleigh Dickenson aims for its first win in nine attempts.      The visiting Knights took the opening advantage of the contest as Nate Dudeck scored on a error and Diego Urreta walked with the bases loaded in the top of the 2nd. Fairleigh Dickenson continued the scoring as Andre Bouffard was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the top of the 3rd to give the Knights a 3-0 lead.       Earning the win on the mound for the Herd was sophomore Charlie Krebs earni...