MARATHON – Marathon senior track sensation Chris Marcell has long waited for his opportunity to call himself a Division 1 athlete, but no longer.
Fresh off tossing the second furthest discus throw in the history of the nation, Marcell is out of the recruiting cycle, committing to the SEC’s Oklahoma track and field program.
“It means a lot,” Marcell said. “Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to go to a D1 school for something. I didn’t know what it was for sure, but I just knew I wanted to be a D1 athlete.
“So it’s very fulfilling.”
Before making his commitment to Oklahoma, there was heavy confederation for Marcell to join Auburn’s track and field program while current throws coach Pat Ebel was still at the helm. During his recruiting cycle, a prior bond, and liking to the setting was too much to pass up.
“I love that the campus is confined,” Marcell said. “Everything I need is just right in one place, there’s great food options. The facilities are awesome, and it’s a great town to be in.”
In May, Marcell’s record-breaking discus throw flew 220 feet, 8 inches.
He has seen exponential growth in the past two years, with a spark being born the first time he got to compete at the highest level.
Now, he’s shuffling through techniques to reach the peak of his potential.
“When I made it to state as a freshman for disc, that for me was kind of when I fell in love with it,” Marcell said. “Ever since then, I started putting in a little bit more work and that got me to throw in 180 sophomore year. And then I switched to the glide (technique) from freshman to sophomore.
“After I switched to the gliding shot I threw like 48 feet, I think. And once I hit those numbers, and that’s kind of when I realized, something good is happening here. And after that, I just really wanted to be the best that I could be. So, I put in a lot of work over the winter and offseason, and that got me throwing 220, and 61.”
Now Marcell will join Ebel as a Sooner after his move from Auburn to Oklahoma. He’s hoping the move to the Sooner State will pay major life and career dividends.
“I really hope to progress as an athlete and make the Olympic team someday,” Marcell said. “and then as a person is like, I think down there I’ll be surrounded by great people, and that’ll put me in the right direction.”
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Reporter Alfred Smith III at alfred.smith@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @AlfredS_III.
This article originally appeared on Wausau Daily Herald: Marathon thrower Chris Marcell’s olympic dreams begin with commitment to SEC program
Reporting by Alfred Smith III, Wausau Daily Herald / Wausau Daily Herald
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