Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
Day 1
Murphy Earns Another All-America Honor
June 10, 2015 | Track and Field
EUGENE, Ore. – University of Colorado junior Pierce Murphy recorded a fifth place finish in the 10,000-meter run to lead the Buffs on Thursday and earn his first outdoor All-America honor.
This was Murphy's first appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and he made it one to remember, clocking in at 29:15.18 for the award winning performance.
Like he had been doing all season, Murphy ran a patient and controlled race, steadily moving up the field. About half way through, Murphy moved up from the middle of the pack to third. He dropped back a short time later, but continued to stay patient as he waited for the right time to make another move. He finished very strong, running the final 400 meters in 58.76 seconds.
In total, this is Murphy's fourth All-America honor – his third this athletic season (2014-15). He has earned the distinction twice as a member of the cross country team and this past March he earned the award for the indoor 5k where he placed sixth.
Junior Abrianna Torres had a good first day in the heptathlon, posting a 41-point personal best day one score of 3,317 for 21st overall. She clocked a 14.63 in the 100-meter hurdles to start the day and then cleared a personal record 5-6.50 in the high jump. Torres went on to place fourth individually in the shot put with her second best throw of the season at 44-6.25. She finished the day running 26.17 in the 200.
In semifinal action, sophomore Ben Saarel placed ninth in the first section of the 1,500, clocking in at 3:47.07, which did not advance to the finals on Friday. The field ran very tight for the first three laps and as the field entered the bell lap, Saarel surged ahead to take the lead. He was passed by a couple runners down the back stretch but was still in contention entering the home stretch before fading.
In the 3,000-meter steeplechase semifinal, junior Connor Winter finished 12th in his heat, and also did not qualify for the finals. Winter finished the race, his sixth steeple race ever, in 9:04.37. He had worked his way up to the middle of the pack around the midway point, but dropped back as the race finished.
Senior Sara Sutherland and redshirt freshman Erin Clark will compete on the track on Thursday for CU along with Torres who will finish the heptathlon. Sutherland will race the 1,500 semis at 5:14 p.m. and Clark will compete in the 3k steeplechase semis at 5:38 p.m. Both events will be televised live on ESPNU.
2015 NCAA OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Hayward Field (Eugene, Ore.)
Heptathlon
Day 1 Score:
100-Meter Hurdles: (1. Kendall Williams, Georgia, 13.08) 24. Torres, 14.63
High Jump: (1. Akela Jones, KSU, 6-0.50) 14. Torres, 5-6.5/1.69
Shot Put: (1. Akela Jones, KSU, 48-8.75) 4. Torres, 44-6.25/13.57
200-Meters: (1. Nikki Larch-Miller, Wichita St., 23.36) 24. Torres, 26.17
Track Events
Men's 1,500-Meters (semis): (1. David Elliott, Boise State, 3:40.44) 19. Ben Saarel, 3:47.07
Men's 3,000-Meter Steeplechase (semis): (1. Anthony Rotich, UTEP, 8:40.52) 23. Connor Winter, 9:04.37
Men's 10,000-Meters (finals): (1. Edward Cheserek, Oregon, 28:58.92) 5. Pierce Murphy, 29:15.18
The remaining schedule for the Buffs is listed below:
Thursday, June 11 (times are Mountain)
1 p.m. W Long Jump (heptathlon) Abrianna Torres ESPN3
2:15 p.m. W Javelin (heptathlon) Abrianna Torres ESPN3
5:14 p.m. W 1,500 Meters (semis) Sara Sutherland ESPNU
5:28 p.m. W 800 Meters (heptathlon) Abrianna Torres ESPNU
5:38 p.m. W 3k Steeplechase (semis) Erin Clark ESPNU
Friday, June 12 (times are Mountain)
7:30 p.m. M 5,000 Meters (finals) Morgan Pearson ESPN
Saturday, June 13 (times are Mountain)
3:15 p.m. W 1,500 Meters (finals) Sara Sutherland ESPN2
3:27 p.m. W 3k Steeplechase (finals) Erin Clark ESPN2
Players Mentioned
