First and Ben

 By Ben Anderson      Marshall Track & Field found plenty of success the last two weeks in the state of Virginia in the JMU Invite and UVA Challenge.      At the JMU Invite, the Thundering Herd earned nine victories with a sweep of the 4×400 relays, Evan Weder winning the men’s high jump, Markayla Moore winning the women’s hammer throw, Hannah Wyler winning the women’s 1500, Tavon Simmons-Roberts winning the 110m Hurdles, as well as Addison Painter and Lara Check sweeping the men’s and women’s long jumps.      Check said that she was proud of teams’ performance at the meet. “There were some tough conditions, but everyone definitely pulled through,” Check said. “There were also some great tailwinds, so that definitely benefited the sprinters especially, and I think we just keep improving in those areas.”      Check has been the highest national ranked athlete through the indoor and outdoor seasons for the Thundering Her...

 By Ben Anderson      Marshall softball (23-19, 9-6) aims to get back to its winning ways this weekend when it hosts the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (31-12, 9-6).           The Thundering Herd has lost six of its last 10 and dropped its previous two Sun Belt Conferences series to South Alabama and Appalachian State. The Chanticleers swept the Georgia State Panthers in its last Sun Belt Conference series and earned a mid-week 14-5 victory over UNC Greensboro.           The Herd goes up against a Chanticleers team that is dangerous on both sides of the ball, as they are 25-3 on the season when out-hitting opponents, and ranked first in the Sun Belt Conference in home runs with 71. The Chanticleers are ranked 26th in the nation in shutouts with nin.           This weekend will be the battle of standings as Marshall and Coastal Carolina are tied in the Sun Belt Conference Standing...

 By Ben Anderson      Marshall Track & Field had multiple strong performance over the weekend in good old Rocky Top at the Tennessee Invitational.           The Herd found the most success on the track with freshman distance runner Destiny Berryman winning the women’s 5k, and sophomore sprints & hurdles runner Dezire Gee winning the women’s 400 meter-hurdles.      Gee said that she had early struggles in the race but was able to recover.           “Only thing that was playing in my mind was you got to go out there and get after it,” Gee said in an interview with First and Ben. “I mean it’s either now or never. And I went out there and went to the first hurdle I was like dang man, I kind of messed up. But you got to shake back, so I started running, I heard the girl in Lane 5, she ran for Tennessee, her name was Myla Green.”           “Heard her coming and ...

 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 ...