Liam Murphy Beats Strong Field For Win In Eastern States Race

By Brian Towey for DyeStat

THE BRONX, N.Y. -- Liam Murphy's evolution as an elite distance runner has happened quickly.

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An Allentown NJ senior running in his second cross country season, Murphy turned away a stellar field at the Manhattan College XC Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park Saturday in 12:15.2, holding off Loomis Chaffee CT senior Matt Farrell (12:18.9). 

"Things have been pretty much the same as last year," said Murphy, who finished 33rd at Foot Locker Nationals in 2018.

"This year, when I started picking up my mileage (that helped). Consistently in the 60s (miles per week). That's made the difference."

Murphy, whose brother Conor is a graduate student with one season of running eligibility this spring at Rutgers, turned away two other sports once he found his true calling. 

"I gave up soccer," Murphy said. "Then the winter of my sophomore year I gave up basketball. Ever since then it's been track."

Murphy is deciding between Villanova and Georgetown for college.

After finishing a distant third to Great Oak CA and Loudoun Valley VA at the Great American Cross Country Festival last week in North Carolina, La Salle Academy RI coach Ken Skelly sensed his team had more in the tank.

"It was a cool experience running against those two powerhouse teams," Skelly said. "But we gave up a lot of points. I felt like if we ran better, our depth would take care of things."

At Manhattan, La Salle Academy got it right. With 77 points, a tightly compressed La Salle group beat La Salle College PA (143 points) and Christian Brothers Academy NJ (152 points) for the win.

La Salle Academy's 1-5 scorers finished within 37 seconds. 

It was another big moment for Rhode Island. A year ago, Bishop Hendricken (located eight miles from La Salle) won the Eastern States title. On Saturday, Hendricken finished seventh.

"I came here in 2000 and it was a chance to build on (that standard)," Skelly said. "Today was a tip of the cap to all of the athletes who came before these guys. …. Success doesn't build on success. Success builds on tradition. And these guys have been happy to make their legacy so far this season."

Katelyn Tuohy, after a one-year hiatus, came back to the Eastern States Championship. Her winning time of 13:33.2 was second only to her all-time meet record 13:21.8 set as a sophomore. 

"At Great American last week I felt sluggish," Tuohy said. "It was a nine-hour ride and it took a day to get there. Today I felt pretty good. I think I'm in pretty good shape. I'm in better shape than my races have showed. I think maybe I have to get mentally tougher."

For the first time in meet history, three girls broke 14 minutes. Fayetteville-Manlius senior Claire Walters (13:45.9) became the second-fastest performer in meet history behind Tuohy, and Tully NY's Brooke Rauber became the third-fastest (13:52.1).  

Fayetteville Manlius, with 64 points, won the girls team title for a record-tying 10th time, matching Saratoga Springs as the most decorated team in meet history. The Bolles School from Florida was second with 122 points. Other top finishers included Liverpool (165 points), Champlain Valley VT (178 points) and Morgantown WV (189 points).

"The girls ran pretty well," Fayetteville-Manlius coach Bill Aris said. "Our strength has been our top four. We've struggled to manufacture a fifth runner. Today our fifth runner did a credible job."

For Bolles, which finished sixth at the Great American Cross Country Festival last week, it marked another step towards a state championship and a possible NXN berth.

"Definitely the experience of coming out and travelling has helped us," Bolles senior Helena Kummings said. "It's increased our pack mentality. That's what we're known for. That's how we won state last year and we want to do it again."

Morgantown WV coach Mike Ryan, a former runner at West Virginia Univerisity and assistant coach at George Mason, knew the mystique of Van Cortlandt Park. Saturday, his runners got to experience it for themselves.

"The hills were harder than I expected," said sophomore Lea Hatcher, who was fifth in 14:07.9. "We have hills in Morgantown, so I was used to that. But that surprised me."

- Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy NY senior Jacob Ireland, the son of Columbia's Director of Cross Country/Track & Field, Dan Ireland, won the Boys "B" Letter race. He started a Go Fund Me campaign for his high school team, a small public school in the Bronx, to travel to away meets.

"We're not a super-poor school, but we're small and minimally funded," Jacob Ireland said. "I started the Go Fund Me page to pay for buses, race entries and food."

- Pennsylvania's top boys programs, La Salle College and Downingtown West, showed well at the Eastern States Championship. La Salle finished second and Downingtown West was fourth (158 points).

"We've finished third at the state championship the last couple of years," Downingtown West coach Scott Burns said. "Every year it's tough. Last year North Allegheny was very strong. La Salle, whose coach, Greg Bielecki, I know well, does a really good job. It's a battle every year."

Added La Salle Academy RI coach Skelly: "I wanted to mention La Salle College. Last year we really battled with them. This year, for us to run the way we did and for them to be right there with us, it says a lot about them."

- Cornwall freshman Karrie Bologa finished with the fastest girls time out of the letter races, winning the Varsity A race in 14:22.