— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall athletics is in the mix for two new head coaches.
Recently, the athletic department announced Jeff Small, a 28-year track and field/cross cross country head coach, would not have his contract renewed. Small coached two Sun Belt Conference outdoor champions during the Herd’s first year in the league — Mikah Alleyne in the 400-meter hurdles and Macie Majoy in the pole vault.
Herd Director of Athletics Christian Spears must also find a new coach for the Herd’s highly-successful softball program. After five successful seasons with the Herd, Megan Smith-Lyon is moving on to coach at her alma mater, the University of North Carolina.
“Megan will be missed, but we are immensely proud of her accomplishments and wish her well at UNC,” Spears said. “She has our utmost respect and we wish her and her family nothing but the best. We are extremely confident we can attract an amazing person to Marshall to lead our softball program and that process has already begun.”
Smith-Lyon most recently led the Herd to a 45-10 record and a runner-up finish in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The 2023 team’s highlights included a school record 23-game win streak, a home win over non-conference rival Virginia Tech and drawing a record home crowd for an April 18 matchup against nationally-ranked Alabama.
Under Smith-Lyon, Marshall won 160 of 230 games.
During her time in Huntington, Smith-Lyon coached 18 all-conference players, including five first team All-Sun Belt Conference players this year. Infielder Sydney Bickel was named the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year.
Prior to coaching Marshall, Smith-Lyon was head coach at Young Harris, Western Carolina and Kansas.
Smith-Lyon replaces her former coach at UNC, Donna Papa, who retired at the end of this past season.