Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Virginia Tech Invitational
Herring Wins VT Invitational in Herd Cross Country’s Season Opener
9/1/2023 9:37:00 PM | Cross Country
Women finish second; men fifth in season opener
BLACKSBURG, Va. - The Marshall cross country teams opened their 2023 campaign at the Virginia Tech Invitational, with senior and 2022 Sun Belt All-Conference runner Abby Herring winning the women's 4K.
The Parkersburg native won by nearly a full 30 seconds, racing 13:51.6. Herring's previous 4K best was 14:41.0 set at the same meet in 2021.
Herring led the Herd women to a runner-up finish, scoring 67 points, behind only the hosts. Junior Kylee Mastin also scored a top-five finish, racing 14:23.4, finishing fourth.
"Today was a great opener for us," Head Coach Caleb Bowen said. "The women opened up with a solid 2nd place finish beating really good UC and Radford teams. UC was ranked 17th in Division II so to be competing with them and Virginia Tech is good experience for us. Obviously I'm proud of Abby for winning the meet but from top to bottom I thought everyone ran tough."
Fellow 2022 SBC All-Conference member Evan White led the men with a 22nd place finish in the men's 6K. The Herd men finished fifth with 108 points.
"In the men's race, I thought we ran tough as well," Coach Bowen said. "Obviously not happy with the team score but I think overcoming some adversity early is going to be exactly what we need going forward. I told the men before the race that I wanted them to go for it and not be scared to blow up. I'd much rather us go for it and fail rather than being content with being mediocre. And we did that today. And we'll do it next meet and the next and that's the way we'll ride to our fullest potential. "
FULL RESULTS:
WOMEN'S 4K Top-7
(1) 1. Abby Herring 13:51.6
(2) 4. Kylee Mastin 14:23.4
(3) 20. Hannah Wyler 15:09.0
(4) 27. Hannah Toth 15:31.0
(5) 32. Tori Dotson 15:48.4
(6) 36. Meagan Ward 15:54.8
(7) 37. Sophia Newsome 16:06.3
MEN'S 6K Top-7
(1) 22. Evan White 19:07.3
(2) 30. Matthew Scheneberg 19:18.5
(3) 36. Garrett Ferguson 19:32.0
(4) 43. Branden Wood 19:43.8
(5) 45. Ronnie Saunders 19:52.9
(6) 48. Kent Bee 19:58.2
(7) 53. Donny Speas 20:03.5
"We have a lot of fitness to gain over the course of the next two months but very excited with where we are headed," Coach Bowen said.
UP NEXT
The Marshall cross country teams will host the Marshall Invitational in two weeks on Friday, September 15. The historic race will be the program's first home meet since 1989.
Follow the team on Twitter and Instagram @HerdTFXC for coverage all season long of Marshall cross country.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!
Players Mentioned
