Marshall Track & Field Preview
By Ben Anderson, FM88 Sports
March 17, 2025
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. (WMUL-FM) — The Marshall Track & Field 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 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.”
“I am confident because of the things they taught us, that we can do the same thing and progress just like they taught us how to do,” Spencer said.
The Herd has faced much top competition this season from the Atlantic Coastal Conference, Southeast Conference, and the Sun Belt Conference. Spencer said that the challenging schedule in the indoor helps prepare the team for what awaits in the outdoor season.
“Going against a lot of Power fives are really helping us push since obviously we are not in a power conference,” Spencer said. “I truly believe that this university has the competitors to compete with those power five schools.”
Spencer’s main focus will compete in multiple events for the Herd.
“Going to focus a bit more on the steeplechase,” Spencer said. “I ended up trying it at the end of the year and did fairly well. I’ll run an occasional 1500 as well, so I’ve never ran that event before.”
Another runner who is coming off a successful indoor season is junior Hannah Wyler, who was on the Distance Medley Relay gold team at the outdoor conference championships. Wyler aims to carry that momentum throughout the outdoor season.
Wyler said her goal for the outdoor season is to work on speed in her events.
“The 1500, I want to run probably mid to low four twenties if not faster,” Wyler said. “I want to make it the first rounds, but obviously I have to have the time for that.”
“Winning the DMR (Distance Medley Relay) definitely will be a top memory that I have here,” Wyler said. “It really motivates me to try to place at conference in whatever I will run there.” Leaders on the men’s side are senior Kazuma Bowring, who said that the younger runners have adapted well leading up to the outdoor season.
“Training with them on the distance side, all fall and all indoor a lot of them have progressed,” Bowring said. “They’ve learned that high school and college racing are two totally different things. It’s cool to see them succeed now as they’re learning how to race properly.”
Bowring comes off earning all-conference honors at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships with his performance in the men’s 800. Bowring said that his main focus is to reach new heights.
“Of course I want a PR, I want to run those fast times at make Regionals (NCAA East Regional),” Bowring said. “I’m really focused on making at least one final at that outdoor conference (Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championships). I’ve yet to do that.”
One of the younger runners entering the outdoor season is freshman Justin Lipscomb. Lipscomb said that he feels like his best self in the outdoor season.
“Where I come from, I’ve only raced like two indoor meets and those were in two different years at Marshall (Marshall high school meet),” Lipscomb said. “So, I’ve always been an outdoor guy, and I love outdoor more than cross country.”
Lipscomb said that he has developed the competitor’s mindset at the collegiate level throughout his first season wearing the Kelly green and white.
“I’ve definitely learned a lot about race strategy,” Lipscomb said. “Where I come from (in) Double AA West Virginia, there is not a ton of guys, it’s a lot smaller.”
“Just going on the D1 level, race strategy is huge,” Lipscomb said. “That was a big learning point in indoor track.”
Lipscomb said that the coaching staff at Marshall is a big reason for his early success at the collegiate level.
“We have a good coaching staff that will listen to you,” Lipscomb said. “If your body’s hurt to a certain extent they can adjust if it’s too much. Having a coaching staff that encourages you and hyping you up and actually cares about the athletes, it just makes everything easier, whether it’s in competition or in practice.”
Marshall Track & Field begins the outdoor season under second-year director Keith Roberts on Friday in Coral Gables, Fla. with the Miami Invitational.