Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Athletics Celebrates Student-Athlete Success At ‘The Marcos’
4/14/2026 2:57:00 PM | General
Award winners honored on Monday at Scaggs Family Practice Facility
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Athletics hosted 'The Marcos' on Monday night in the Scaggs Family Practice Facility, located inside Gullickson Hall.
Sponsored by United Bank, 'The Marcos' are an annual celebration of Marshall student-athletes, highlighting moments and seasons in which there was excellence in athletic performance, academic performance and contributions to the community while upholding the values of The Herd Mentality.
"We love celebrating our student-athletes and all they're accomplishing – in competition, in the classroom and in the community," said Niesha Campbell, Marshal's Deputy Director of Athletics, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Woman Administrator. "The Marcos are special because they give our athletes a chance to come together and celebrate each other. It's even more meaningful knowing the awards are voted on by their peers through SAAC. We're also grateful to our donors and sponsors who make nights like this possible. This is the Herd Mentality in action."
There were a pair of musical performances by Marshall student-athletes: Ally Humbert of Marshall Swim & Dive sang an original song while Zenthia Stowers of Marshall Women's Basketball sang "You Say" by Lauren Daigle.
In addition to United Bank, special thanks go to Jerk Riley's and Chick-Fil-A for providing food for the event and Tri-State Trophy of Barboursville for making the awards for the student-athletes.
Here is the list of award winners, along with a short description:
- Ed Starling Male Student-Athlete of Year – Wyatt Fricks, Men's Basketball
Fricks closed out a successful five-year career with the Herd, earning All-SBC First Team honors during a senior campaign that ended with the Herd as the No. 2 seed for the SBC Championships where they advanced to the SBC Semifinals. For the season, Fricks averaged 15.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game – both team-bests. He had five games of 25 points or more and set a career-high with 34 in a win over Elon.
- Dr. Dorothy Hicks Female Student-Athlete of Year – Lauren McNamara, Swim & Dive
McNamara won Marshall's first-ever individual title at The American Swim Championships, taking the 200 Butterfly – an event that she broke the Marshall program record in three times during the 2025-26 year. Recently, McNamara was chosen to represent Team USA at the 2026 FISU America Games.
- Team Moment of the Year – Marshall Men's Soccer
Marshall Men's Soccer earned the distinction of 'Team Moment of the Year' for the third straight season after securing a 3-2 win in double-overtime over top-seed and rival WVU to earn the right to host the 2025 SBC Championship match.
- Team Performance of the Year – Marshall Women's Basketball
Marshall Women's Basketball set a single-season program record with 28 wins, which culminated with a 66-41 win over Illinois State in the WNIT Championship in front of a sold-out crowd at Cam Henderson Center. The senior class exits Marshall as the winningest four-year class in Herd women's basketball history.
- Women's Newcomer of the Year – Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, Women's Basketball
Lewis-Eutsey reset the Marshall Women's Basketball record book, breaking Karen Pelphrey's 40-year-old record for most points in a single season with 741 in 2025-26. For the season, Lewis-Eutsey averaged 20.0 points, 3.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 steals per game. Her 141 steals were No. 3 in the nation and she also was one of only eight players nationally to have seven games of 30 points or more. The Trenton, N.J. native joined Notre Dame All-American Hannah Hidalgo as one of only two Division I players in the nation to average 20 points, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals per game in 2025-26. She was the 2025-26 SBC Newcomer of the Year and a three-time SBC Player of the Week.
- Men's Newcomer of the Year – David de la Vibora, Men's Soccer
De la Vibora ended the 2025 Men's Soccer season as a Second Team All-SBC selection and a member of the league's All-Freshman Team after a year in which he scored three game-winning goals while finishing with 10 points on four goals and two assists. He played in 21 matches for the Herd with 20 starts.
- Male Comeback Player of the Year – Male: A.J. Havrilla, Baseball; Female: Bella Gerlach, Softball
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. Havrilla returned from wrist surgery to lead Marshall baseball to the 2025 SBC Semifinals and is back leading the team in 2026 while Gerlach stepped away for personal reasons in 2025 and has returned to help lead Marshall softball to a top-25 ranking in the 2026 season.
- Coach of the Year – Juli Fulks, Women's Basketball
Fulks led Marshall to the winningest single season in program history with 28 wins, highlighted by five straight victories to end the season to earn the 2026 WNIT Championship in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,475 fans at Cam Henderson Center. The team's successful campaign included a 10-game winning streak that also featured an overtime win over SBC Champion James Madison that ended the Dukes' 21-game SBC regular-season winning streak.
- Chad Pennington Leadership Award – Male: Ethan Bowens, Men's Track & Field; Female: Peyton Ilderton, Women's Basketball
This award recognizes exceptional year-round leadership demonstrated through character, consistency and the ability to positively influence others. Ethan earned the 2025 SBC Postgraduate Scholarship while Peyton was one of 62 women's basketball players nationally to earn the Kay Yow Servant Leader Award. They both won the award for the second-straight year.
- Herd Mentality Award – Marshall Volleyball
This award goes to the team who embodies all the cultural pillars of the Herd Mentality – Honoring the Journey, Engaging With Purpose, Rising Through Innovation and Dedicating To Others.
- The Herd Cup – Marshall Women's Golf
This award goes to the team with the highest average of community service hours for the 2025 calendar year.
- Women's Team Academic Excellence Award – Women's Golf (3.96)
This award is given to the women's team with the top academic performance in Marshall Athletics during the 2025 year
- Men's Team Academic Excellence Award – Men's Soccer (3.54)
This award is given to the men's and women's teams with the top academic performance in Marshall Athletics during the 2024 year
- Support Staff Member of the Year – Anthony Chomat, Strength & Conditioning
This award is presented to the Support Staff member who goes above and beyond their duties to ensure the well-being of the student-athlete and program.
- Marshall Forever Award – Elli Barry, Volleyball
This award recognizes one senior student-athlete who has created a lasting, tangible, impactful contribution to Marshall Athletics – something that will continue after their time is done.
- Donor of the Year – Trish Nash
This award is presented to the donor whose efforts in philanthropy have positively impacted their program and Marshall Athletics as a whole.
- Best Dressed Award: Male - Kylan Overstreet, Track & Field; Female – Elora Spradlin, Dance
Voted on by student-athletes at the event, this award goes to the male and female student-athletes who dressed the best for the 2026 Marcos.
The following athletes were also named the Marcos "Teammates of the Year" as voted on by their fellow student-athletes:
Baseball: Brandon Brunette
Men's Basketball: Jalen Speer
Women's Basketball: Zenthia Stowers
Men's Cross Country: Garrett Ferguson
Men's Track & Field: Brooks Theis
Women's Cross Country: Asha Bora
Women's Track & Field: Lakesha Smith
Football: Braydin Ward
Men's Golf: Cameron Jarvis
Women's Golf: Maddi Hudson
Men's Soccer: Carl Romberg
Women's Soccer: Marta Garcia
Softball: Ava Blake
Swimming & Diving: Elyse Wood
Tennis: Katy Limanen
Volleyball: Annika Castellanos
Cheer: Ikira Watts
Dance: Audrey Cavender
For all the latest information about Marshall Athletics, follow @HerdZone on Twitter and Instagram.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS and Android.
---HerdZone.com---
