Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Athletics Celebrates Student-Athletes At ‘The Marcos’
4/9/2024 4:45:00 PM | Buck Harless Student Athlete Program, Student-Athlete Health and Wellness, Student-Athlete Success
Award winners honored for excellence in event at Huntington City Hall
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Athletics hosted 'The Marcos' on Monday night at The Foundry Theatre, located at Huntington City Hall on Fifth Avenue in Huntington.
'The Marcos' are an annual celebration of Marshall student-athletes in which they exhibited excellence in athletic performance, academic performance and contributions to the community.
Here is the list of award winners, along with a short description:
- Ed Starling Male Student-Athlete of Year – Tyler Jones, Men's Golf
Jones has finished in the Top-10 in two events and also in the Top-20 in six of seven events so far this year. Jones had a pair of 5-under-par rounds – one in the final round of the Feaganes Invitational and another in the 2nd Round in the Loyola Intercollegiate.
- Dr. Dorothy Hicks Female Student-Athlete of Year – Abby Herring, Women's Cross Country
Herring became the first woman in Marshall history to advance to the NCAA Cross Country Championships while setting new personal and school bests in the 4K, 5K, and 6K. Her 6th-place finish at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional earned her the berth in the NCAA Cross Country Championships and she also finished 2nd at the SBC Championships, which earned her First-Team All-Sun Belt honors for the second straight year and concluded her career with four First Team All-Conference marks (2 SBC, 2 C-USA). Her race victories included the Virginia Tech Invitational and the Thundering Herd XC Invitational.
- Marshall's Team Moment of the Year – Marshall Men's Soccer
No. 1 Marshall's 3-2 victory over No. 5 WVU to win the 2023 Sun Belt Championship on Nov. 12, 2023 at Hoops Family Field in Huntington.
- Team Performance of the Year – Marshall Women's Basketball
Marshall's Women's Basketball team finished the 2023-24 season with a 26-7 record while winning the Sun Belt Conference regular season and tournament title while earning the first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1997. The team featured the SBC Player of the Year in Abby Beeman and the SBC Coach of the Year in Kim Caldwell.
- Men's Newcomer of the Year – Owen Ayers, Baseball
Ayers made an immediate impact with the Marshall Baseball program, setting the program's single-season doubles record with 23 while having 19 multi-hit games. Ayers started all 53 games for the Herd, hitting .283 on the season with 7 HRs, 34 RBIs, and 40 runs scored to go along with his record-setting doubles mark.
- Women's Newcomer of the Year – Johanna Strom, Tennis
Strom was dominant in her first season with the Thundering Herd tennis program, earning the SBC Freshman of the Year honors, as well as SBC First Team honors in singles and doubles. She finished with an 18-2 mark in Spring 2023 and had wins over WVU, Penn State, Kentucky and Illinois during the season.
- Men's Individual Athletic Performance of Year – Alvaro Garcia-Pascual, Men's Soccer
Garcia-Pascual had one of the most memorable soccer performances in recent memory when he scored a pair of goals and assisted on another in Marshall's 3-2 win over No. 5 WVU to clinch the SBC Championship and, subsequently, the No. 1 overall seed entering the NCAA Tournament. He finished the season with eight goals and four assists despite missing time due to an ankle injury.
- Women's Individual Athletic Performance of Year – Abby Beeman, Women's Basketball
Beeman led Marshall to a 26-7 record overall as the program achieved many milestones, including the SBC Regular Season and Tournament Title, a program record for wins in a season and the first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1997. Beeman averaged 16.8 points, 6.2 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game en route to earning SBC Player of the Year honors. Beeman had a pair of triple-doubles this season – one of only six players nationally to accomplish that feat.
- The Herd Way Comeback Player of the Year – Male: Rasheen Ali, Football; Female: Breanna Campbell, Women's Basketball
This award is presented to the male and female student-athletes who have recovered from injury, illness or hardship and returned to make noteworthy contributions to their team's success.
- Chad Pennington Leadership Award – Male: Taimu Okiyoshi, Men's Soccer; Female: Madeline Hart, Swimming & Diving
This award was presented to the student-athletes who demonstrate the quality of leadership in each aspect of their lives – on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
- Marshall Impact Award – Marshall Softball
This award goes to the team who exhibits the greatest passion and dedication to Marshall through campus and community involvement and service.
- Marshall Community Service Award – Marshall Men's Basketball
This award goes to the team with the highest average of community service hours for the calendar year in 2023.
- We Are Marshall Award – Elli Barry, Marshall Volleyball
This award was presented to the student-athlete who demonstrated the strongest commitment to making an impact in the community.
- Top Overall Academic Award – Women's Golf and Men's Cross Country
This award is given to the men's and women's teams with the top academic performance in Marshall Athletics
- Marcos Best Dressed Award – Female: Kylie Fisher, tennis; Male: Donnie Speas, Track & Field
This award was given to the student-athletes who were best dressed for The Marcos, as voted on in the event's pre-reception.
The following athletes were also named the Marcos "Teammates of the Year" as voted on by their fellow student-athletes:
Baseball: Chad Heiner
Men's Basketball: Kevon Voyles
Women's Basketball: Tamia Lawhorne
Men's Cross Country: Donny Speas
Men's Track & Field: Carson Casto
Women's Cross Country: Kylee Mastin
Women's Track & Field: Kalei Jordan
Football: J'Coryan Anderson
Men's Golf: Cameron Jarvis
Women's Golf: Hanna Shrout
Men's Soccer: Masaya Sekiguchi
Women's Soccer: Alyssa Hardin
Softball: Erica Holt
Swimming & Diving: Audrey West
Tennis: Rieke Gillar
Volleyball: Riley Winslow
Cheer: Noelle Brown
Dance: Elora Spradlin
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