An athlete doesn’t need to go to the beach to get sand in their shoes.

Markus White is the “Sand Man” for Virginia State University’s track and field Trojans.

The 6-foot freshman from Lynchburg’s Heritage High kicked up sand 24 feet, 8 inches from the takeoff board at the recent NCAA Division II Championships in Emporia, Kan.

White’s eighth-place finish May 23 was best among all freshmen at Nationals.

Earlier in May, White won the CIAA title with a leap of 24 feet, 3 inches to help the Trojans’ men to a third straight conference crown in Durham. White was also fifth in the CIAA triple jump.

Also this season, White established the VSU outdoor long jump record with a sand-blasting leap of 24 feet, 10.8 inches at Lenoir-Rhyne University, N.C. The previous Trojans’ standard of 24 feet, 5.8 inches was set in 2009 by Leon Hunt.

White’s long jump heroics come as little surprise in Ettrick. Last spring as a Heritage senior, White won the Class 3 title with a state record-setting leap of 24 feet, 4.75 inches.