The track and field team placed 53 athletes, had 13 individual wins and won a relay event at the Marshall Alumni Classic track meet on Saturday, Jan. 13. The meet was held at the Chris Cline Athletic Complex.

Abby Herring, a grad student and fifth year member of the team, broke her record in the indoor women’s 3000-meter run with a time of 9 minutes and 28.68 seconds. The time was enough to break the record she set in 2023 by 19 seconds.

“If I didn’t open the season with a record, I would have been okay with it because it’s just a rust-buster meet,” Herring said about her race. “I knew after a mile that if I could keep the pace going, I could have set a personal record.”

Of the 15 wins, two came from senior sprinter Kennedy Pedro in the women’s 60-meter dash and the women’s 200-meter dash.

In the women’s weight throw, senior Rebecca Merrit got first place with a personal best throw of 18.61 meters on her third throw of the day. Senior Josie Moore and sophomore Markayla Moore placed second and third behind Merrit with throws of 16.95 and 16.38 meters, respectively. 

Junior pole-vaulter Dianna Goodman won in the women’s pole vault for the second time this season, following her 3.7 meter vault from the Marshall opener with a 3.75 meter vault on Saturday. 

Moving forward, Goodman said she wants to get back to the form she was at towards the end of last season and break her personal record.

“My personal best is 3.98, so moving forward I’d like to break that four meter barrier,” Goodman said. “But it is fun to win.”

Sophomore Quay Harrison placed seventh in the men’s high jump with a jump of 1.75 meters.

Freshman Luke Rader placed fourth in the men’s long jump with a jump of 6.91 meters in the fourth round.

In the women’s high jump, sophomores Lara Check and Elicia Wood and junior Alycia Rivera tied for third with equal jumps of 1.59 meters.

In the men’s weight throw, John Purvis, Anthony Dunbar and Nicholas Wright placed fourth, sixth and seventh with throws of 14.25 meters, 14.12 meters and 14.10 meters, respectively.

In the running events, Marshall athletes placed in almost every event with the men’s 400-meter and 800-meter runs being the only exceptions.

Junior Kylee Mastin set a new meet record in the women’s 1 mile run, winning with a time of 4 minutes and 52.98 seconds, fourteen seconds ahead of second place.

In the women’s 400-meter run, junior Marlee Porter won with a time of 59.32 seconds.

Junior Tyra Thomas placed first, and freshman Infinity Thomas placed second in the women’s 60-meter hurdles with times of 8.68 and 8.84 seconds, respectively.

In the women’s 300-meter dash, senior Mikah Alleyne placed first, and freshman Nyah Harrison placed second with times of 40.39 and 40.96 seconds, respectively. 

Sophomore Ethan Bowens placed first in the men’s 300-meter dash with a time of 35.10 seconds.

In the women’s 600-meter run, Sophia Newsome won with a time of 1 minute and 37.61 seconds.

Hannah Wyler, a sophomore, won the women’s 800-meter run with a time of 2 minutes and 18.07 seconds.

Grad student Ronnie Saunders set the meet record in the men’s 3000-meter run with a time of 8 minutes and 32.49 seconds, and freshman teammate Garrett Ferguson placed second behind him clocking a time of 8 minutes and 43.29 seconds.

The women’s 4×400-meter team of Harrison, Pedro, Porter and Alleyne won with a time of 4 minutes and 00.52 seconds.

Keith Roberts, the first year director of track & field and cross country said that Saturday’s meet was a good opener after a month long break.

“I feel like this was a good opener to see what we need to work on,” Roberts said. “Definitely seeing some good work from both teams.”

The track team continues their season on Friday, Jan. 19, at the VMI Invitational in Lexington, Virginia.