First and Ben

By Ben Anderson      Marshall Cross Country competed in its final tune-up before the Sun Belt Conference Championships with the Falcon Invitational at Bowling Green University.       Marshall, for the second straight week, had a new leader on the women’s side with senior Hannah Wyler running the 6K with a time of 22:01. Marshall cross country head coach Caleb Bowen said that he proud of the way that numerous runners have taken on the number one role throughout the season.       “I’m very excited to see them step up and do pretty well,” Bowen said. “We have like three number one girls, which is what you want in a team, with Hannah Toth, Hannah Wyler, and Destiny (Berryman). It was really fun to see Asha (Bora) step up and throw her name in the mix as well.”      Leading the way for the men’s team was junior Brady Dawkins, with an 8k time of 25:36. Dawkins said that he was pleased with the way he handled the race. ...

 By Ben Anderson      Tomorrow, the Thundering Herd faithful will get their first chance to watch the 2025-2026 Marshall men’s basketball team as it plays host to the Alice Lloyd Eagles in a fans first exhibition at the Cam Henderson Center.      The Thundering Herd is coming off a season where it finished 20-13, (12-6) in league play to finish fifth in the Sun Belt Conference. The Herd’s season ended as it fell 77-74 against Arkansas State in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Quarterfinals.       The Herd is led by second-year head coach Cornelius “Corny Jackson” who concluded last season as a finalist for the 2024-25 Ben Jobe & Joe B. Hall awards. The Herd’s success from a year ago also earned him a contract extension through 2030.       The Thundering Herd brings in 8 newcomers to the roster this season. Jackson said that during the offseason, he focused on recruiting players that give the Herd the best c...

 By Ben Anderson      Marshall women’s basketball’s Peyton Ilderton was selected as a Kay Yow Servant Leader Award Winner. Ilderton said that she was blessed to be selected for such an honor.       “I took a lot of pride in it,” Ilderton said. “I think it’s extremely humbling to even be nominated for that. So, to have received that, I was very happy when coach Juli (Fulks) saw me as somebody that could hold that honor and just to actually receive it, it was awesome.”      As one of 62 players selected across the nation for the award for the 2024-2025 season, the senior and Logan, West Virginia native will have an official “Kay Yow Servant Leader” patch on her jersey throughout the season. Ilderton said that it’s amazing to be selected with some of the best in the country.      “It’s crazy to think about,” Ilderton said. “There are some people out there that are big names that get to wear that patch on their chest. I t...

By Ben Anderson    Tomorrow,  the Marshall Thundering Herd welcome rival Old Dominion Monarchs in a battle of David vs Goliath. ODU is in second place in the Sun Belt Conference East Division standings with a record of 4-1 and 1-0 in league play and aiming for its first 5-1 start since 2012.       Marshall is coming off a 54-51 double overtime heartbreaking loss against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns two weeks ago in a game that it led by 17 points in the fourth quarter. Head Coach Tony Gibson said that the team used the time off to work on the defense.     " I think that we got some technique stuff fixed defensively,” Gibson said. “Some scheme issues fixed. I think that's a big thing. I think offensively, those guys have a lot of confidence right now and our staff's done a great job of keeping them grounded and keep getting better. So, I feel really good about where we're at right now at this point during game week and, you know, excited to wat...

 By Ben Anderson      The Marshall Thundering Herd Women’s Golf competed at the Butler Invitational over the weekend. Leading the way for the Herd was junior Madison Borders finishing in the top 5 after every round and finished the week with 10 birdies. Head coach Brooke Burkhammer said that she has been impressed with Borders’ development going back to last season.       “She played great,” Burkhammer said. “She’s been working really hard. Even in the spring of last year, this past year, she was trending in the right director and posting some good scored for us and playing solid golf. So, I’m glad that it’s kind of moved over to this year. And I’m just really proud of her.”      The Thundering Herd finished fourth overall as a team in the invitational.       “There were some great teams,” Burkhammer said.” Butler’s a great team, Dayton, Loyola Belmont. I mean, they’ve got tradition of having really good golf tea...