SALEM, N.H. - Like many indoor track athletes, Mike Marshall often gets bounced out of the gym by basketball players.

He's been vaulted from his training by the gymnastics team.

And asked to leave - albeit politely with a smile - by cheerleaders needing room to work on routines.

All that is fine. Just don't try to run by him in a race.

"We're used to it by now," said the Salem High junior, currently the top seed in the Class L (along with Londonderry's Brenden Bice) with a 7.8 clocking in the 55-meter hurdles.

All the inconveniences of home have done little to derail Marshall's plan to excel in the New Hampshire track ranks.

In his first season indoors, Marshall, one of the state's top high-jumpers having already cleared 6-foot-2 this winter (he's ranked fifth in Class L), is a serious threat to pick up postseason hardware.

"Really, I only started track outdoors to get in shape for football," said Marshall, who was started at cornerback and quarterback for the Blue Devils' JV team in the fall. "I was one of those guys who hated to run. But once I started track, it's just come naturally to me."

Marshall's upside has enthused Salem coach Todd Seastedt, since the 17-year-old is so new to the sport.

Freshman year, he played basketball in the winter and took driver's education during the spring.

Last winter, he worked at the mall - starting at the "Hermit Crab" kiosk and moving all the way up to the "Sports Collectibles" wagon he now mans. In the spring, he decided to run track.

Only now, the employment schedule is worked around track.

"I get paid pretty well, so I like work," said Marshall, who also dabbles in the long jump and runs a leg on Salem's 4x200 relay. "But I now have some goals in track that are most important. Winning a state title is one of them.

"It won't be easy, especially this year. Brenden Bice from Londonderry is a heck of an athlete and a great competitor. And there are a lot of other great athletes out there."

The 6-foot, 170-pound Marshall doesn't have to look far for competition, especially in the hurdles.

Senior captains Alex Miller (8.3) and Nick Cavallo (8.0) give the Blue Devils the deepest contingent of hurdlers in the state.

"Those two are incredible," said Marshall. "We practice together and critique each other's form. And we really push each other. I run a lot better with somebody pushing me, and those guys are always there."

In addition to his current three-sport status, Marshall remains proud of his honors status.

While he is taking a crafts course this semester - "Yes, it includes basket-weaving," he joked. - Marshall's slate is laden with tough courses like chemistry, advanced computer studies, accounting and advanced math.

This spring, it will again be back to both hurdles events, 110 highs and the 300 hurdles. He'll look to better his efforts last spring, where he was fourth overall in the high jump and seventh in the New Englands.

Not bad for a guy just looking to get in shape for football.

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Marshall's the man

Here are some of the highlights for Salem High junior track athlete Mike Marshall, who is running indoors for the first time:

* Currently tied for the No. 1 seed in the state with a 7.8-second clocking in the 55 meter hurdles.

* Has already matched his outdoor best of 6-foot-2 in the high jump.

* With little practice, he's long-jumped 19-foot-1 outdoors, 18-foot-111/2 this winter.

* Finished third in the state in the high jump last spring, eighth in New Englands.

* Ran 3rd fastest time in the area last spring in the 110 highs, 15.70 seconds for fourth at the Class L meet.