Marshall University Athletics
@HerdWBB Announces Three Signings for 2017-18
11/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall women's basketball team announced the signing of three players for the 2017-18 season. The class of signees is ranked 34th in the country and the highest of any Conference USA schools.
"Extremely excited about this recruiting class," head coach Matt Daniel said. "It is also nice to know that other people are taking notice of our effort by having a class ranked #34 in the country."
The three players who have signed their National Letter of Intent (NLI) to join the Herd are Kristen Mayo (Grayson, Ky.), Taylor Pearson (Columbus, Ohio) and Brie Toney (Columbus, Ohio).
"The young ladies that signed paperwork early average a 25 on the ACT, and we have a couple of others that are sorting through their academics," coach Daniels said. "We can comment on three of them, and we have three others committed.
"I believe this recruiting class, at its core, is one of the toughest in the country and very versatile."
Mayo stars as a point guard for East Carter High School in Grayson, Ky. The point guard has been named all-district, all-conference and all-area six times. She is a two-time conference defensive player of the year and a two-time conference player of the year. Mayo has been voted the Lady Raider Defensive Player of the Year twice and the Lady Raider Player of the Year once. She holds school career records in steals, assists, three-point field goals made and points. Mayo has starred in the classroom as a Distinguished Scholar for three years with a GPA of 4.0 or above.
Pearson averages 12 points and 15 rebounds per game as a combo forward for Northland High School in Columbus. She is a three-time first team all-city honoree and a two-time MVP. Pearson was named a Top-10 District Player and led the district in rebounds. She is seventh on her school's all-time scoring list and set the program record for most points in a season as a sophomore. Another star off the field, Pearson has a 4.2 cumulative GPA, is the President of the Student Senate, is a member of the National Honor Society and was twice honored as the CYF Best All-Around Student.
Toney averaged 18.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.2 blocks per game as a forward for Bexley High School in Columbus this past season. She hit nearly 40 percent from three-point range. At the conclusion of the 2015-16 season, Toney had racked up numerous awards and accolades. She was named first team all-league in the mid-state league, first team Associated Press for the Central District, All-Ohio AP Division II team special mention, Super 12 team honorable mention, Top-10 district coaches award and the Bexley High School Varsity MVP. It was her third time named the school varsity MVP.
"Kristen Mayo is a point guard that can play on or off the ball," coach Daniel said. "Taylor Pearson is extremely versatile and can play a lot of different positions. Brie Toney is a work horse that can stretch any defense.
"I won't be able to comment on the rest of the recruiting until the late signing period in April, but I am very pleased with how things are going in every facet of our program.
Marshall is 3-0 to begin the 2016-17 season and is on the road in Edinburg, Texas for the UTRGV Classic. The Herd will take on Sam Houston State Nov. 25 at 5:30 p.m. eastern and Prairie View A&M Nov. 26 at 5:30 p.m. eastern. Marshall returns to the Cam Henderson Center Nov. 30 as Morgan State visits Huntington, W.Va.
