Bridgeport High School has another Division I athlete. And on Friday afternoon it became official.

 

Senior track and field standout Madyia McCullough signed a letter of intent to attend Marshall University. McCullough did the signing with family and coaches by her side inside the BHS library.

 

“The entire campus, the staff and the coaches made me feel so welcome,” said McCullough on why she chose Marshall. “It was fantastic to be at the campus … It felt like home.”

 

In order to make her new “home” a successful one in trac and field, McCullough knows what she needs to do to get there. And she’s already working on it.

 

“I definitely need to have hard work and determination. I need to improve on my technique, weightlifting and give 110 percent,” said McCullough.

 

It’s easy to see why the Thundering Herd chose McCullough. The Bridgeport High School state champion has an impressive list of accomplishments in the throwing events for the Indians.

 

As a sophomore, McCullough captured a state title in discus with a throw of 117 feet, 4 inches. She also managed to place in the shot put with a throw of 30 feet, 10 inches. That throw was good enough for sixth place.

 

During the 2019 state meet, she topped both of those marks. Her discus throw was 123 feet, 10 inches, but it landed her a runner-up finish. She moved up to fourth in the shot put with a throw of 33 feet, 5 inches.

 

The good news is McCullough can – and has – done better than her marks at the state meets. Her personal record in the shot put is 34 feet, 10 inches, while her top mark in the discus is at 125 feet, 5 inches.

 

Indians girls’ track Coach Emilee Yurish said McCullough has what it takes to compete for the Thundering Herd and at the major college level.

 

“I think Madyia will be a great fit at Marshall with both track and her academics,” said Yurish. “She is the type of athlete that has raw talent and really focuses on excelling against her competition. She sets goals and does what she can to achieve them.”

 

McCullough would like to achieve a goal of more state titles this year. She will be one of the senior leaders on a relatively young squad.

 

“(My leadership will mostly be) a positive one,” said McCullough, who is undecided in what she’ll study while a member of the Thundering Herd. “When I was a freshman coming in, I was very hard on myself and the senior leaders that I had were so positive and cheering me on. I hope I can be that for every single other teammate that I have out there with me.”

 

Yurish said McCullough will be counted on for more than points this year. She said she will be counted on heavily for leadership.

 

“She is a crucial part of our team, especially being the only returning thrower who was at the state meet last year.  Being a senior now, she can lead the way for our throwers and set good examples to her younger teammates,” said Yurish. “… I am excited to have her back this year and to see her as a senior leader.  She is one of the best throwers our girls track program has ever had and I am glad to have her for one more season.”

 

McCullough will join former standout Julia Muller who runs distant events for the Herd. That also helped shape McCullough’s decision.

 

“I remember her being on the team and her positive attitude drew me more to Marshall,” said McCullough.

 

Along with Marshall, several other schools showed interest including multiple schools from the Mountain East Conference. Shenandoah University, Robert Morris, Carnegie-Mellon and several others contacted the BHS standout.

 

Editor’s Note: Pictured with Madyia McCullough, front row middle, from left is her mother Lucinda Lindsay (BHS assistant track and field coach) and father Darren McCullough. Back row, from left, BHS assistant track Coach Jacob Griffith, stepfather Zack Huffman, sister Mylee, stepmother Candi McCullough, and Coach Emilee Yurish.