Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Track and Field Concludes Successful Season
5/20/2003 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Marshall Track and Field Concludes Successful Season
5/20/2003
Senior Erin Compton finished off her Marshall career by winning the MAC Championship in the discus. |
What may be described as a season of ups and downs, the Marshall University men and women?s track and field teams concluded a historic season at the MAC Championships this past weekend. The season saw a young women?s team set five new school records and the men?s team compete for the final time.
Senior Erin Compton (Oak Hill, W.Va.) set a new standard for women throwers at Marshall after setting new school records in both the hammer and discus throwing events. Compton not only rewrote the record books, but became the first Marshall athlete to win an event at the historic Penn Relays. Compton also took back her Mid-American Conference discus championship after defeating second place finisher Lauren Collins of Miami (Ohio) by 14 feet, 8 inches, sealing her place in Marshall athletic history. Compton finished the season winning seven-of-eight discus events.
Compton wasn?t the only success story for the Marshall women?s track and field team, which loses only four seniors. Sophomore Stephanie Eastman (Spencer, W.Va.) returns after setting a new school record in the 800 meter run at the Bearcat Classic with a time of 2:12.39. Junior Shelby Pride (Bethel, Ohio) broke her own school record in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the Miami Invitational with a time of 11:20.28. The women?s 4x400 meter relay team of junior Zedmalia Wolfe (Toronto, Canada), sophomores Eastman and Kristin Herron (Frankfort, Ky.) and freshman Xavier Richards (Kingston, Jamaica) set a new school record at the MAC Championships with a time of 3:50.49.
The men?s team ran for the last time in a Marshall uniform this past weekend at the MAC Championships in Mount Pleasant, Mich. Marshall, along with the University of Toledo, had their programs cut this season leaving the conference with only nine schools with men's track and field. The men?s team had a solid season and had two individuals qualify for the finals at the MAC Championships.
Junior Nimal Bailey (Miami, Fla.) placed seventh in the 400 meter hurdles and senior Phil Jones (Burke, Va.) finished eighth in the 400 meter dash. Junior John Ferguson (Westerville, Ohio) was the highest finisher for the men after placing sixth in the long jump.
The men?s team didn?t go out without leaving their mark on Marshall track and field history. The men?s 4x100 meter relay team or seniors Arthur West (Fort Pierce, Fla.) and Mark Littlejohn (Maple Shade, NJ), Ferguson and freshman Wilbur Hargrove (Boyton, Va.) set a new school record at the MAC Championships with a time of 40.87. Junior Terry Stahl (Vienna, Va.) qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships at the McDonald?s Invitational in the hammer throw with a toss of 180 feet, 1 inch.
Compton and Stahl will train for the NCAA East Regional Championships at George Mason University for the upcoming two weeks. The event will take place Friday, May 30 and Saturday, May 31 in Fairfax, Va. Compton ranks 10th in the east region in the discus and 17th in the hammer. Stahl ranks 31st in the men?s hammer throw. To qualify for the NCAA Championships, Stahl and Compton must place in the top five of their event or be one of the remaining top five in the nation.
