School: Warrenton

Grade: Senior

High School Activities: Track and Field, Softball, Soccer, NHS (Vice President) and Link Crew. 

Would you rather race on a super cold day or a super hot day? “Definitely a super hot day, which is different from most people but I don’t do well in the cold weather. Towards the end of the year, I always do so much better because of the weather.” 

If you could pick another event to compete in, what would it be? “I would probably compete in the 800 because I’ve done it before.” 

If you could go to one place in the world, where would it be? “I would say Greece or Italy because they have such amazing food and their culture is so aesthetically nice. I really want to go and travel the world over there someday.” 

How long have you been running track?

“I started running track in seventh grade. I originally did some relays to try to find out what I liked. I used to run the 800-meter dash in seventh and eighth grade, but once I reached high school, I started doing the 400-meter dash because my sister was in the 800 and they didn’t want us racing against each other.” 

What was it like transitioning from the 800 to the 400?

“It was definitely different. I always kind of wished I had still done the 800 just because I knew I was good at it. I had the record for the middle school 800-meter dash, but I totally understand not wanting to race against my sister. Also, my freshman year, all I did was relays. Towards the end of my freshman year, I started doing the 400 and realized I could actually go somewhere with this one. So from then on, I’ve always done that.” 

How long have you been playing soccer?

“I’ve been playing soccer since I was around two or three years old. I always thought I would just do soccer in high school and I never thought about track or anything like that. But track kind of took over and I love both, so it was hard to give up one. I wanted to try and do both, and so far, it’s been a lot but it’s definitely worth it.” [Marschel started playing softball her sophomore year as well]. 

What made you want to join track?

“My mom, my sister and my grandparents all used to run track. Since my mom did it and soccer is not a middle school sport, I decided I should do something. I really enjoyed it and stuck with it. My mom also used to run the 400 when she was in high school.” 

What’s it like being a dual sport athlete?

“It’s been quite a lot. Sometimes we practice for four hours on Mondays. It helps that there’s more than one of us, like Isabelle Morris, we’ve always done both together. It helps having someone there by your side. Having to do one over the other sometimes is really hard, especially when soccer is such a team sport. But I really wanted to try and see how far I could get with track because I knew my times were good and I work hard during the offseason for that. So, I wanted to see which one I could further pursue.” 

How has the adjustment been coming back to track after your injury?

“After I tore my meniscus, I was really nervous about what kind of pain I would experience or if I would get any discomfort, but it’s been super good– knock on wood– but I basically wanted to train myself as hard as I could to make sure I was prepared and ready to come back stronger.” 

How do you mentally prepare yourself before a race?

“I know the stats are available for us to see with people’s times but I try not to look at them. I go in thinking, I want to get my time down. I like to know what place I get but I am more worried about my time because that is what will help me in my future races. I really just want to PR in most of my races.” 

How do you pace but still push yourself during the 400-meter?

“Since my mom used to run it, she’s helped me quite a bit with how I should run it. A lot of our training now is 300s and 200s and what’s going to help me out, so that really helps. I want to come off really strong, as strong as I can, and make sure I save some energy for the last part because the hardest part is maintaining my stamina.” 

What goals do you have for your senior season?

“I want to try to make it to state for track. I’m looking at my times and I really want to come back after last season since I wasn’t able to make it to districts [with her injury]. I want to go further than last year and I know I can push myself to make it there. In soccer, I want to try and help my team and get more goals on the board. We’ve come from a low spot and we’re trying to rebuild our program back up, so I want the girls to see that we can do it.” 

Is there anything you learned from your first trip to state that you would want to do differently if you qualify again? 

“When I first went to state, I took the ‘don’t be nervous’ too far. I just thought I made it here and I want to have fun. When it comes around this time, I want to push myself and go farther. I want to push to get a higher seed and top eight.” 

What has being a captain in soccer meant to you?

“I feel that we should lead with a strong mindset. I think a lot of girls get down and I think being the person that can help our team and make sure that we got it will help us in the long run. Leading practices can help and saying ‘hey, we got this, let’s keep going,’ and just always being encouraging.” 

What influence has your mom had throughout your sporting career?

“She has always pushed me and told me ‘It’s okay, you’re going to do great and don’t worry about it.’ Since she also used to run the 400, my goal was to beat her time which I eventually did and that has always been funny. Every night, she’s making pasta for me because I always like to eat pasta before I run. She’s just always encouraging me and always there for me at every track meet. She stands at a certain spot to tell me when I need to start kicking it. She’s been a big part of my career.” 

What achievements are you most proud of?

“Making it to state my sophomore year was a big step. From not even knowing if I was doing track in high school to making it there was a huge accomplishment. Also with soccer, it’s been difficult but rewarding knowing I can score goals and I can push my team. Just being a captain as well has shown how much I’ve accomplished.” 

Describe how it feels to see the ball hit the back of the net.

“I love it. Whenever the goal is scored, I know that it doesn’t just come from me, but it comes from my other teammates. The ball doesn’t get there up to me by itself– it’s a whole team effort and I love rewarding everyone for that goal. I’m proud of myself, but I love going back and running up to my other teammates.” 

What’s your go-to move to get around a defender?

“I cut back and dribble around them and then use my speed. I think my speed is mainly what I go for. Any sort of tiny movement to knock them off guard, and go right past them with my speed is what I go for.” 

What are your post-grad plans?

“I plan to go to Mizzou to study business management in hopes to hopefully take over my parents business one day. They do demolition, it’s Marschel Wrecking. Hopefully I will be in the office and be able to do that one day.”