Getting To Know Lincoln Marschall

This edition of "Getting To Know" features 2023 3C2A Southern California Regional 400m hurdles champion Lincoln Marschall. He is excited about the opportunities for him as a member of the USC track and field program.

Q: You're currently majoring in international relations, what drew you to that field?

L.M.: At first, I wanted to major in business administration, but over time I realized I like to travel, and I think it'd be cool to potentially have a job where I might be dealing with another country or something like that.

Q: Where's the last place you've traveled to?

L.M.: This past summer I went to Japan. It was crazy and so fun. Five other friends from high school and myself went and we visited a ton of cool places. We started in Tokyo, then stayed in Osaka, where during the day it's pretty calm but becomes more lively at night. We also visited Kyoto for about two days out of the 10 days we were there.

Q: What's your favorite thing that you did in Japan?

L.M.: Probably karaoke, that was so much fun. I'd also have to say seeing the monkeys when we were in Kyoto. We hiked to the top of a hill that overlooks Kyoto where the monkeys would be. Once we got there, they actually put us in a cage and then the monkeys were climbing all around us and we could feed them peanuts and pet them. It was a super cool experience.

Q: As a new sophomore what has your transition been like?

L.M.: Definitely a change of pace. Coming from a community college last year we didn't have a lot of the resources that we have here at USC. Here there's a lot more resources and a lot more people willing to help you. I also think for track, there's a lot more people pushing you. I really liked my coach and teammates at community college too, but this year it's like all the coaches are helping me and all my teammates are all running faster and pushing me to run faster.

Q: How do you feel like being at a school with more resources and a program with such a rich history has influenced your personal growth?

L.M.: I think that it made me realize there's more challenges. Even with so many more resources, there's still so many hurdles that I have to go over. I think people have taught me that it just takes time and focus and I'm going to have to really get through these challenges if I want to be great.

Q: Has there been a specific moment where you came across these hurdles and realized that things might become more challenging? If so, how did you get over that?

L.M.: Something I'm going through right now is my injury. I'm definitely still learning how to take my time with the healing process and to not go too quickly. It's been nice to have coaches and teammates that have helped and continue to help me understand what I need to do. That's been a big challenge of mine right now that I know I'll overcome.

Q: Is there a particular bonding experience that stands out to you when looking at your time here?

L.M.: It wasn't necessarily supposed to be a bonding experience, but it ended up being one. We were doing a workout where we had three 300's, and it wasn't too bad, but it was still a pretty fast pace; some people ended up dropping out. Coach (Quincy) Watts wanted to talk to us so we went into the room and he's asking where my teammate Jake is, then asks me to go get him. I go outside to grab Jake and he's absolutely laying down on the ground from the workout. There's a lot of moments like that where you become closer just from the experience of doing a hard workout and they make fun memories too.

Q: Has there been any advice from a teammate or coach that they've shared that's helped you?

L.M.: Mostly from my hurdle coach to just take my time with things and trust the process. Even though it seems really bad in the moment, there's people to help pick you up and work towards your goals.

Q: The 400m is arguably one of the most difficult events to get people to want to do, let alone 400m hurdles. How did you get into it?

L.M.: When I was younger I told my mom that I wanted to run, so she put me straight into distance, 5Ks and 10Ks. I eventually joined club track when I was seven and did distance for a while and realized that I was definitely better at sprinting. With the right coaching I was able to become a 400m runner. The hurdles came into play when I originally wanted to do the Pentathlon in middle school. I didn't know how to do hurdles, so my mom emailed my high school coach to ask him to train me in hurdles and he did. Once I got to high school, he wanted me to hurdle and I gave it a shot.

Q: Growing up in Lakewood, Calif. did you always want to go to school here?

L.M.: Yes. USC was always the goal, actually. My mom went here, so growing up we went to all the football games and I always had an idea that this is where I wanted to end up.

Q: What's it like actually going to all the events you went to when you were younger, now as a student?

L.M.: It's definitely a different experience. It's funny because everyone gets super hyped going to the games and I've been going to them my whole life, so it's not a super new experience for me, but I still enjoy them and am happy to be here.

Players Mentioned

Lincoln Marschall

Getting To Know Lincoln Marschall

Trojans footer

University Southern California Trojans

Players Mentioned

Lincoln Marschall

Getting To Know Lincoln Marschall

Related Videos

Trojans footer