University Southern California Trojans
Getting To Know Marne Sullivan
November 11, 2023 | Track & Field
In the latest "Getting To Know" we introduce you to Marne Sullivan. By way of Chicago and Boston, the graduate distance runner shares her enthusiasm about life at USC and experiences that have inspired her throughout her journey. The three-time ACC All-Academic team member comes to USC with a personal best of 2:0615 in the 800m.
Q: Coming to the west coast, let alone southern California, is super different from living in Chicago and Boston. How did you like BC?
M.S.: I liked BC a lot. I went to BC from Chicago, so it was definitely different. I have all my cousins, aunts and uncles that live in New Jersey, so I've always flown to New Jersey for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've always kind of been on the east coast, but BC was a great experience. I had a very holistic experience there. Great academics, athletics and social life. It was 25 minutes outside of Boston. I gained a lot of lifetime friends from BC. My direct roommate was a javelin thrower and she's my best friend for life. I'm excited to be here for new opportunities and new experiences.
Q: How has your transition been as a graduate student? Are there any noticeable changes between being an undergraduate student athlete and a graduate student-athlete?
M.S.: I was actually very nervous. Not only was it a huge risk to fly all the way across the country, but I'm a graduate student. I was thinking "Am I going to feel like an outsider? Am I going to feel included?" When I got here, the support and resources were absolutely insane. I'm so grateful. We have a sports psychologist, sports nutritionist and the weight room is huge. Just so many different resources. I'm a very personal person. I want to get to know my professors and classmates, so I was really looking for an in-person program. Luckily, I did. My experience so far has been phenomenal. All the people here are just always willing to help and really want to see you succeed and be your best self.
Q: How's your overall experience running cross country been from high school to college?
M.S.: Technically, this is my second real season as a cross country runner. My freshman year I raced one race for cross country then I got injured. I suffered from a severe foot injury, which is why I have a fifth year of eligibility. However, I was born deaf with a cochlear implant on my right ear, so when I went to get an MRI, they told me I couldn't. That moment was super shocking to me because I didn't realize that the magnetic capabilities of my cochlear implant would interfere with the scan. I couldn't participate, therefore, I didn't have indoor or outdoor season due to injury and COVID.
Q: How has your hearing affected you?
M.S.: Growing up I had a very supportive system. I never really thought about my implant much. When I got to college, you know, it's a new place with new people, new experiences, whereas growing up everyone kind of just knew I was deaf. I definitely had to self-advocate more, be more open and honest. Freshman year I remember I was so embarrassed telling people I couldn't get the MRI because of my implant, so it was just a weird situation that I was dealing with on my own. Sophomore year was very difficult because of the pandemic and the masks. I rely on body language and lip reading and with the masks I couldn't understand what people were saying. For example, if I'm tired from my workout and I want to get Dunkin' Donuts, there would be the plastic barriers and masks and I would have so much social anxiety because I couldn't understand what people were saying.
Q: Those sound like really difficult transitions that you had to go through. Were you able to get more comfortable with this being a bigger part of your public life?
M.S.: Well, junior year I was kind of facing a lot of challenges during workouts where my cochlear implant would die because of sweat. It's water resistant, not waterproof. My senior year is kind of when I really opened up about my hearing loss journey. I truly started to open up last September during deaf awareness month. This past year has been an absolute whirlwind of not only learning more about myself, but also connecting with a bunch of other deaf athletes and a bunch of other deaf individuals. I recently started posting a lot of stuff on TikTok and Instagram, kind of sharing my experiences, hoping that it would at least help one other person not feel so alone.
Q: Now that you've started to open up, do you feel that vulnerability has spilled over into you just being more open to people in general?
M.S.: Yeah, for sure. When I meet someone, I don't want to start with "Oh, yeah by the way I'm deaf." I'm not going to be that straightforward. But there are little things like if you were on my left side and we were walking or running together, I'll ask "Hey can you come on my right side?" because it's better for me to hear. I think that definitely helps because I think I'm just a lot more honest and open and vulnerable.
Q: You said that you just started posting on social media hoping to reach other members of the deaf community, have you had anyone reach out to you?
M.S.: On Oct. 14 at the Highlander Invitational two girls came up to me from Arizona State and they stopped me and asked if I was Marne Sullivan. I said yes, and they turned their heads and said "We have hearing aids, we follow you on Instagram. We love your content and we just wanted to say hi". I didn't run as great of a race as I wanted to, but in that moment it really uplifted me. I was so excited to talk with them. Turns out they're studying to be audiologists and they're also runners. I think by being vulnerable, I'm creating a safer community. My goal is to make other deaf athletes in high school and college feel more comfortable about themselves and their hearing loss journey. That connection and talking with them was the highlight of my day.
Q: Now you're kind of taking a leadership position in that realm of your life would you say your experience as a student athlete helps with your leadership role on this team?
M.S.: A hundred percent. It's not even just the work ethic or determination or perseverance. The cool thing about track is it's both an individual and a team sport. I definitely get leadership qualities from track and field.
Q: What makes you say that exactly?
M.S.: You're constantly working with your teammates, constantly having to be accountable, lean on your teammates, and be there for your teammates. Being part of a team has definitely taught me a lot of lessons. I'm still learning even though I'm a grad student. We have so many leaders on the team now. For example, Gigi [Maccagnini], she's just a junior, but she's already picked up leadership qualities. I feel like age is just a number. It's just more of the personality and how you carry yourself to practice every day.
Q: How would you describe how you enter practice every day?
M.S.: My number one thing that's super important to me is being a good teammate. I always try to show up at practice with a positive attitude, and positive energy. My teammates joke around and call me the hype woman because I'm just loud and constantly cheering at people during workouts. Not only does it help them, but helps me as well to push myself to the limit.
Q: Here you are still running five years later. Is there anything you're looking forward to this season?
M.S.: This year I'm very excited to be working with Coach [Jebreh] Harris because I think he sees the potential in me that I don't quite see yet. I'm going to be really focusing on the 800m, 1500m and then of course the relays. I haven't run the 4x800 since my senior year of high school where we won the state championships. That's something I definitely have in the back of my mind because I love being part of a relay. I think we have really, really strong 800m runners like Gigi, Alyssa [Blockburger] and Tracy [Towns]. That's something I'm really looking forward to, the 4x800m, 800m and 1500m.
Q: Coming to the west coast, let alone southern California, is super different from living in Chicago and Boston. How did you like BC?
M.S.: I liked BC a lot. I went to BC from Chicago, so it was definitely different. I have all my cousins, aunts and uncles that live in New Jersey, so I've always flown to New Jersey for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've always kind of been on the east coast, but BC was a great experience. I had a very holistic experience there. Great academics, athletics and social life. It was 25 minutes outside of Boston. I gained a lot of lifetime friends from BC. My direct roommate was a javelin thrower and she's my best friend for life. I'm excited to be here for new opportunities and new experiences.
Q: How has your transition been as a graduate student? Are there any noticeable changes between being an undergraduate student athlete and a graduate student-athlete?
M.S.: I was actually very nervous. Not only was it a huge risk to fly all the way across the country, but I'm a graduate student. I was thinking "Am I going to feel like an outsider? Am I going to feel included?" When I got here, the support and resources were absolutely insane. I'm so grateful. We have a sports psychologist, sports nutritionist and the weight room is huge. Just so many different resources. I'm a very personal person. I want to get to know my professors and classmates, so I was really looking for an in-person program. Luckily, I did. My experience so far has been phenomenal. All the people here are just always willing to help and really want to see you succeed and be your best self.
Q: How's your overall experience running cross country been from high school to college?
M.S.: Technically, this is my second real season as a cross country runner. My freshman year I raced one race for cross country then I got injured. I suffered from a severe foot injury, which is why I have a fifth year of eligibility. However, I was born deaf with a cochlear implant on my right ear, so when I went to get an MRI, they told me I couldn't. That moment was super shocking to me because I didn't realize that the magnetic capabilities of my cochlear implant would interfere with the scan. I couldn't participate, therefore, I didn't have indoor or outdoor season due to injury and COVID.
Q: How has your hearing affected you?
M.S.: Growing up I had a very supportive system. I never really thought about my implant much. When I got to college, you know, it's a new place with new people, new experiences, whereas growing up everyone kind of just knew I was deaf. I definitely had to self-advocate more, be more open and honest. Freshman year I remember I was so embarrassed telling people I couldn't get the MRI because of my implant, so it was just a weird situation that I was dealing with on my own. Sophomore year was very difficult because of the pandemic and the masks. I rely on body language and lip reading and with the masks I couldn't understand what people were saying. For example, if I'm tired from my workout and I want to get Dunkin' Donuts, there would be the plastic barriers and masks and I would have so much social anxiety because I couldn't understand what people were saying.
Q: Those sound like really difficult transitions that you had to go through. Were you able to get more comfortable with this being a bigger part of your public life?
M.S.: Well, junior year I was kind of facing a lot of challenges during workouts where my cochlear implant would die because of sweat. It's water resistant, not waterproof. My senior year is kind of when I really opened up about my hearing loss journey. I truly started to open up last September during deaf awareness month. This past year has been an absolute whirlwind of not only learning more about myself, but also connecting with a bunch of other deaf athletes and a bunch of other deaf individuals. I recently started posting a lot of stuff on TikTok and Instagram, kind of sharing my experiences, hoping that it would at least help one other person not feel so alone.
Q: Now that you've started to open up, do you feel that vulnerability has spilled over into you just being more open to people in general?
M.S.: Yeah, for sure. When I meet someone, I don't want to start with "Oh, yeah by the way I'm deaf." I'm not going to be that straightforward. But there are little things like if you were on my left side and we were walking or running together, I'll ask "Hey can you come on my right side?" because it's better for me to hear. I think that definitely helps because I think I'm just a lot more honest and open and vulnerable.
Q: You said that you just started posting on social media hoping to reach other members of the deaf community, have you had anyone reach out to you?
M.S.: On Oct. 14 at the Highlander Invitational two girls came up to me from Arizona State and they stopped me and asked if I was Marne Sullivan. I said yes, and they turned their heads and said "We have hearing aids, we follow you on Instagram. We love your content and we just wanted to say hi". I didn't run as great of a race as I wanted to, but in that moment it really uplifted me. I was so excited to talk with them. Turns out they're studying to be audiologists and they're also runners. I think by being vulnerable, I'm creating a safer community. My goal is to make other deaf athletes in high school and college feel more comfortable about themselves and their hearing loss journey. That connection and talking with them was the highlight of my day.
Q: Now you're kind of taking a leadership position in that realm of your life would you say your experience as a student athlete helps with your leadership role on this team?
M.S.: A hundred percent. It's not even just the work ethic or determination or perseverance. The cool thing about track is it's both an individual and a team sport. I definitely get leadership qualities from track and field.
Q: What makes you say that exactly?
M.S.: You're constantly working with your teammates, constantly having to be accountable, lean on your teammates, and be there for your teammates. Being part of a team has definitely taught me a lot of lessons. I'm still learning even though I'm a grad student. We have so many leaders on the team now. For example, Gigi [Maccagnini], she's just a junior, but she's already picked up leadership qualities. I feel like age is just a number. It's just more of the personality and how you carry yourself to practice every day.
Q: How would you describe how you enter practice every day?
M.S.: My number one thing that's super important to me is being a good teammate. I always try to show up at practice with a positive attitude, and positive energy. My teammates joke around and call me the hype woman because I'm just loud and constantly cheering at people during workouts. Not only does it help them, but helps me as well to push myself to the limit.
Q: Here you are still running five years later. Is there anything you're looking forward to this season?
M.S.: This year I'm very excited to be working with Coach [Jebreh] Harris because I think he sees the potential in me that I don't quite see yet. I'm going to be really focusing on the 800m, 1500m and then of course the relays. I haven't run the 4x800 since my senior year of high school where we won the state championships. That's something I definitely have in the back of my mind because I love being part of a relay. I think we have really, really strong 800m runners like Gigi, Alyssa [Blockburger] and Tracy [Towns]. That's something I'm really looking forward to, the 4x800m, 800m and 1500m.
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