The first time Kyra Marshall ever competed in a track and field event, the 300-meter hurdles, she blazed past veteran hurdlers, crossing the finish line in second place at 53.75 seconds. Two months later, Marshall dropped five seconds and got second at Sections, qualifying for state.
Marshall, senior, joined the girls track and field team her sophomore year, relatively late compared to many of her teammates who had been on the team since middle school.
As a soccer player for most of her life, Marshall initially took up track as an off-season sport. “Initially, it was a way for me to stay in shape for soccer, so I didn’t really go into track thinking it was going to end up being my main sport, but obviously things changed,” said Marshall.
Aside from soccer, Marshall also grew up playing some other sports, like gymnastics and swimming, yet those never lasted long. She notes that while she did enjoy her time playing soccer, she was never truly passionate about the sport. “[Soccer] had been my only sport that I had been playing for so long that eventually, [it] just got to the point of burnout. And to be honest, I wasn’t honestly that good at soccer,” said Marshall. When she picked up hurdles in track, she immediately felt a stark shift from sports she had participated in before. “When I had found something I was talented at and that I really enjoyed […] it just felt like a way better fit for me as an athlete,” said Marshall.
Despite her distinguished performance as a first-year, Marshall didn’t understand how many of the track and field events worked and how to properly run them. When she made the state meet that year, she didn’t even realize the extent of her accomplishment at first. “I knew I had qualified for state in the 300 hurdles when I got the second place qualifying, but I didn’t feel like I had because it’s like, ‘What do you mean? I’m still new. What do I have to do now?’ So it was more like a just state of confusion but also excitement,” said Marshall.
During her junior year, Marshall qualified again for state after winning the 100-meter hurdles at the section championships. With her current PRs of 15.60 seconds in the 100 and 46.54 seconds in the 300, Marshall has made the MSHSL track and field honor roll in both events, of which the qualifying times are 16.84 and 49.24 seconds respectively. Although hurdles is her main event, Marshall is also a relay sprinter for the team, as she competed in the 4×200 relay at state last year.
Marshall notes the supportive environment of the track team, and she has especially come to love the team-oriented culture of the True Team meet. True Team is a two-part meet held in May where every athlete who competes scores points for the team, unlike regular meets where only the top athletes score. “Everyone is cheering for one another and watching the other events. We usually do stuff like put glitter on our face and wear ribbons in our hair,” said Marshall.
As one of the multi-event captains this year, Marshall hopes to accomplish many goals. Besides being able to PR, a bigger goal she has is to be a leader and positive role model to the girls on the team. “I just want to help create a really fun year for a lot of the girls, and I want to be as encouraging as possible to the other girls on the team and just be a positive influence,” said Marshall.
Marshall had originally considered pursuing collegiate track and field but ultimately will not in order to focus on academics. Nevertheless, she will likely join a running club or do recreational track and field in college, something she would’ve never imagined before discovering track. “When I found track, I felt like where I was supposed to be,” said Marshall.
