When Pierce Murphy started running for the Buffaloes at the University of Colorado, he set two goals: Become an All-American and help his team win a national championship. “And it happened,” he said Monday in a phone interview. “It’s pretty
When Pierce Murphy started running for the Buffaloes at the University of Colorado, he set two goals: Become an All-American and help his team win a national championship.
“And it happened,” he said Monday in a phone interview. “It’s pretty cool.”
The 2011 Island School graduate finished 39th in the NCAA Cross Country team title on Nov. 23 at the La Vern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terra Haute, Ind. He covered the 10k course in 30 minutes, 44 seconds. The top 40 earn All-American honors.
Simply put, it means Murphy is one of the nation’s best runners.
“It is kind of amazing a kid from a small island would be able to do this,” said Basil Scott, who coached Murphy at Island School on Kauai.
The Buffaloes claimed the team title with 149 points to hold off second-place Northern Arizona with 169 points.
On top of being the fourth men’s cross country national championship and sixth overall cross country title, it’s the 26th in CU history and 460th in Pac-12 history.
“I like it that people said that we were over ranked after the conference meet and after regionals,” coach Mark Wetmore said in a press release. “That adds a little bit to the enjoyment of winning.”
The 20-year-old Murphy said conditions on race day were nearly miserable. It had been raining, so the course was muddy and covered with puddles. Temperatures were around 20 degrees that morning, with some strong winds.
“I don’t like to race on a course like that,” he said.
But he was prepared, mentally and physically, to push hard. He felt good, ran strong and finished well.
Earning All-American honors, he said, is something he didn’t think would happen when he started his college running career.
But in his second full season with the Buffs, with a regiment of 85-90 mile weeks, conditioning and commitment to coach Wetmore’s program, Murphy excelled. He remained injury free and was consistently among the team’s top five at cross country meets.
Last year, he narrowly missed All-American honors with a 45th place cross country finish.
“This year, I realized in training that if things went right, I could become an All-American,” he said.
And when it happened, there was no way to downplay it. It felt wonderful,
“I was really stoked I became an All-American,” he said.
Murphy, who also earned Pac-12 first team honors, just completed his finals at UC in Boulder, Colo.
“I hope I did well. I’ll find out in about a week,” said Murphy, whose parents are Shawn and Doreen of Kilauea.
He’ll return home for Christmas break, get in some running and visit with family and friends before heading back to college and preparing for the track season.
His success in college isn’t a surprise to Scott.
While in high school, Murphy was dominant. He won the 1,500 and 3,000-meter state track titles his junior and senior years of high school, set records, earned numerous awards and often ran out front, alone. He was strong and determined, with a great worth ethic and attitude, Scott said. He was also a gifted runner with a smooth stride. While most runners showed a marked decline in speed the longer the distance, Murphy was different. “It’s remarkable how he could recover from a tough workout and how well he could hold his speed over a distance,” Scott said.
He said Murphy averaged only about 50 miles a week in high school, and wasn’t often pushed in races. Scott held Murphy back, rather than pushing too hard. He believed Murphy would run even faster in the ultra-competitive world of college cross country and track.
“I thought under the kind of program Colorado runs, he would do well,” Scott said.
Very well, indeed.
