Colorado University Athletics
Buffs' Murphy Enjoying Best Season Yet
November 05, 2015 | Cross Country, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Somewhere in the nation today, there are a handful of college cross country coaches who are quite likely kicking themselves.
Colorado coach Mark Wetmore, however, is not on that list. Wetmore answers his emails. Wetmore leaves no stone unturned when it comes to recruiting.
Thus, Wetmore today has a two-time All-American runner on his roster from a very unlikely place, a runner who has led the Buffs in each of their races this fall and is a one reason the CU men are favored to win their third consecutive NCAA championship later this month.
Meet CU senior Pierce Murphy, believed to be the first cross country participant ever at Colorado from the state of Hawai'i, and almost certainly one of the few who spends his summer and winter breaks on a surfboard.
“Hawai'i is not big on cross country,” Murphy explained after a recent workout. “I think I had two good friends who were runners, and that's about it. It's not a sport that many people pay attention to.”
Certainly not college cross country coaches. The list of college cross country greats from Hawai'i is … well, rather short. So when Murphy began sending out recruiting inquiries during his senior year at Island School in Kauai, he heard back from almost no one.
Almost.
“CU was one of the four or five schools I was looking at, and they were pretty much the only program that answered my emails and calls,” Murphy said. “They actually seemed like they at least wanted to talk to me, and I was hoping that they really actually wanted me.”
It's not that Murphy didn't have some credentials. He set a pair of state records in winning the Hawaii state title in the 1,500- and 3,000-meter runs as a senior in 2011, and was named the Gatorade Hawai'i Track Athlete of the Year that season.
But again — Hawai'i is far from a hotbed for track and cross country. Times at sea level don't compute easily to mile-high altitude. Wetmore admits to not being overly impressed with Murphy's times when he first heard from him, but he was impressed with his persistence — and in the end, decided to take a chance on a runner from the Islands.
“He was running in humidity, where it's hot and hard to train,” Wetmore said. “And he was persistent. We decided to give him a shot.”
Murphy was glad they did.
“I knew it was a great program, I knew that they sent the most athletes to the Olympics out of the program,” Murphy said. “Knowing they were talking to me felt good … it felt nice. When I got here, I wanted to show I belonged.”
Murphy has done that and more.
As a freshman, he earned all-Pac-12 second team honors and all-region honors and just missed being named an All-American, finishing 45th at the NCAA Championships, where the CU men finished third. As a sophomore, he was 39th at NCAAs and earned All-American honors, helping the Buffs to an NCAA title. He bumped that finish up as a junior, crossing the line in 35th and earning All-American honors again as the Buffs won another championship.
Now he's aiming for a third straight NCAA team title, one he hopes to boost with his best finish yet in the nationals.
Thus far, he's pointed in the right direction, as he's been the top finisher for the CU men in every meet this year. That includes a win at the Rocky Mountain Shootout, fifth place at Pre-Nationals and fourth at the Pac-12 Championships, where the CU men won their fifth consecutive conference title.
Next up is the Nov. 13 NCAA Mountain Regional in Albuquerque, N.M., followed by the Nov. 21 NCAA Championships in Louisville, Ky.
“Hopefully regionals is kind of just to get the distance (10K instead of 8K) down for nationals,” Murphy said. “We ran the course for nationals already at Pre-Nats, so we know how that's going to be. Nationals, we're just going to go in and run our race.”
If Murphy continues to run as he has thus far, he could be the first finisher for the Buffs in Louisville, a big jump over last season.
A year ago, Murphy was never higher than CU's fourth finisher in the last four meets. This year, he's finished ahead of some of the same runners he trailed a year ago.
“Every year I've been moving up; some years more than others,” Murphy said. “I feel like this year is a big year. I've moved up more than I expected when it comes to races and my times in races.”
The secret to his success? Less surfing and more mileage, particularly last summer, when he assumed the role as one of CU's senior leaders in the Buffs' summer “captains practices.”
“I took this summer and the beginning of the school year a lot more serious and I put in more miles than I did last summer,” Murphy said. “Plus, when it comes to big races, it's my fifth year here, so I feel like I have the experience and know what to expect. Being fitter and knowing how to race in crowds really helps.”
Because the NCAA regional and championship meets are two kilometers longer than previous meets, and because they are just eight days apart, the Buffs hope to conserve some energy at the regional meet.
“Here we try to do very well at the conference meet, do whatever is necessary two weeks later at the regionals and then of course do very well again at the nationals,” Wetmore said recently. “There may come a time when we have to be more worried about the regionals and getting through. Right now, we don't worry a lot about that.”
Murphy's improved fitness level has meant he's found himself at the front of the pack early in races this year, a place he said he'd rather not be until the end.
“I prefer to sit behind someone and let them pull me along and just sit in the pack,” he said.
But at nationals, he may find himself at the front early, especially because of a bottleneck near the beginning of the course that caused a spill at the Pre-Nationals.
“It narrows down at about 400 meters and there's some bumps, which is never good,” Murphy said. “At Pre-Nats, there was a big fall on those little hills. … I'll for sure get out a lot faster so I can see those hills and not get behind someone who will fall.”
When the Buffs do get to Louisville, they'll almost assuredly be the favorites. They've been ranked atop the national polls all season, which also means they'll be running with a target on their backs.
They're fine with that. It's something they've grown used to, something that comes with the territory of being one of the elite programs in the nation.
“We're fit and we've put in the work,” Murphy said. “We'll just go run our race.”
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
