Villanova Univeristy Athletics

CAREER COLLEGIATE RESULTS

One of the top distance runners in the country during a record-breaking collegiate career ... Set the NCAA record in the 1500 meters with a time of 3:33.02 at the Raleigh Relays on March 27, 2025 ... On the heels of that performance he became the first men's athlete in VIllanova history to be named to the Watch List for The Bowerman award presented to the top male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the country ... He appeared on the Watch List four times during the remainder of the collegiate season ... His collegiate body of work includes seven NCAA, collegiate and/or Villanova records ... Absolute  school record holder in the 3000 meters (7:42.51) and the 5000 meters (13:10.42) as well as the indoor school record holder in the mile (3:53.85) at the time of his graduation ... In April 2024 he anchored the 4xMile relay team which recorded the second-fastest time in world history at 15:51.91 ... The mark set the collegiate, BIG EAST, Penn Relays and Franklin Field records as the Wildcats won their second consecutive Championship of America title in the race at the Penn Relays ... Posted a time of 3:54.32 on the anchor leg of the relay ... Ran on the school record distance medley relay team (9:20.44) and holds the fastest time in school history to be recorded on a 10,000 meter cross country course (28:55.7) ... His nine career All-America honors and 12 career BIG EAST titles both tied Villanova men's records ... His top national finishes are fourth place in the 3000 meters (2024 indoor, 2025 indoor), 11th in the 1500 meters (2023 outdoor, 2024 outdoor) and ninth in cross country (2024) ... In the final BIG EAST Championships meet of his career (2025 outdoor) he won the 1500 meters for the second straight year for his 12th BIG EAST title (six indoor, four outdoor, two cross country) ... Tied the VU men's mark of 12 career BIG EAST titles which was first accomplished by sprinter and hurdler Martin Booker (1983-86) ... Holds the Villanova Stadium records in the 1500 meters (3:39.00), the 5000 meters (13:43.32) and the 4x800 meter relay (7:17.96) as of the end of the 2025 outdoor season ... The 1500 and 4x800 records are also BIG EAST Championships outdoor meet records, as was his time in the 5K until it was shattered by teammate Marco Langon in 2025 ... Owns 15 career All-BIG EAST honors and has anchored three Championship of America winning races at the Penn Relays ... ... In addition to the records he set, he ranked second overall in school history in the 1500 meters and third in the mile ... Advanced to the final of the 1500 meters at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and was the third collegian across the finish line in the final ... Named the Collegiate Men's Athlete of the Meet in the track events at the Penn Relays in 2024 ... Selected as the Outstanding Track Performer at the BIG EAST Championships both indoors and outdoors in 2024 ... Three-time USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year in cross country (2022, 2023, 2024) ... Won the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional individual title in each of those seasons ... In 2023 and 2024 was the BIG EAST individual champion and had the highest finish from the Mid-Atlantic Region at the NCAA Championships ... Anchored a Penn Relays Championship of America title in the 4xMile relay in 2023 … Helped lead Villanova to cross country team titles at the BIG EAST Championships and the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional in 2022 amd 2024 … Graduated from Villanova in May 2024 as an Economics major and Communication minor ... Enrolled in graduate school to pursue his MBA from the Villanova School of Business ... Winner of the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award for men's cross country in 2023-24 ... Named one of two winners of a Villanova Senior Student-Athlete of the Year Award in 2023-24 ... Three-time selection to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team and four-time member of the Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
 

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NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Advanced to the final of the 1500 meters at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Ore. in June 2024 ... He became the first Villanovan since Ross Donoghue in 1988 to make the final of the 1500 meters at the Trials ... His time of 3:36.37 in the final was a personal best at the time and made him the third collegian across the finish line in the final ... Two days earlier in the semifinals it took thousandths of a second to determine the automatic qualifiers for the final and Murphy made it through in 3:38.072 ... He also finished with a time of 3:38.70 in the first round heats.
 

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BEFORE VILLANOVA

Allentown High School: Earned seven varsity letters in track & field and two in cross country in addition to playing midfield on the soccer team and point guard on the basketball team … Top individual events on the track were the 1600 meters and the 3200 meters … Was an All-American and the Gatorade New Jersey Cross Country Athlete of the Year in cross country as a senior … Finished eighth at the New Balance Nationals in cross country his senior year … Four-time individual champion at the New Jersey Meet of Champions … Qualifier for the Brooks PR Invitational in 2019 … Named the Outstanding Male Athlete in the Class of 2020 … High school PRs included times of 4:11 in the 1600 meters and 8:54 in the 3200 meters.
 
Personal: Born 4/2/02 in Millstone, N.J. … Youngest of three children of Thomas and Christine Murphy … Has two older siblings, Conor and Kiera … Brother, Conor, was a member of the track & field and cross country teams at Rutgers from 2015-20 … Enjoys spending time with friends and listening to music in addition to being active and playing outdoor sports … Chose to attend Villanova for its proximity to home and the opportunity to attend an elite university with great academic and athletics programs … Noted the coaching staff, the close-knit team and the program’s history of success as deciding factors … Graduated from Villanova in May 2024 as an Economics major and Communication minor ... Pursued his MBA from the Villanova School of Business while completing his collegiate eligibility.