Murphy Heads To Texas For NCAA Championships
3/18/2009 10:51:10 AM
HAMILTON, N.Y. (3/18/09) –Emily Murphy (Camillus, N.Y.) made Colgate history when she qualified for the 2009 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships to be held this week on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. She will attempt to make even more history when she competes in the 100 breast.
The senior heads into Friday morning’s preliminary heats ranked 29th in the 39-swimmer field. Murphy gained an invitation to the meet off a performance at the University of Georgia’s Last Chance Meet by swimming a 1:00.86 in a timed trial on March 1. That time broke her previous school and Patriot League record (1:01.23) set a week before at the league championships. Had she not travelled to Athens, Ga., Murphy probably would have been on the outside looking in. The NCAA put the cut-off time at 1:01.20, .03 better than Murphy’s previous best time. At the time of the announcement, she became the first women’s swimmer of record to qualify for the NCAA Division I Championships. The last Colgate woman swimmers to make a splash happened at the 1982 NCAA Division II event.
Murphy heads to College Station looking to become the first Raider to gain All American honors. The top eight in each event will receive All-American accolades, while the second eight garner honorable mention honors. Colgate head coach Stephen Jungbluth believes a top 16 effort from his veteran is definitely within reach.
“Back when she was in high school, Emily came to our Elite Swim Camp and I remember speaking with the other coaches about her,” said Jungbluth. “We all agreed that she had the tools to compete at the NCAA Championships. When I was in Boston last weekend, one of our assistant coaches {Russell Hunt} emailed me her workout data. After reading this information, I thought to myself that without a doubt, Emily has a legitimate chance at becoming an All-American.
“Emily is the toughest competitor that I have ever seen,” continued Jungbluth. “This year, she has invested herself into her swimming to an extent she has never done before. I believe in her 100% and think she has what it takes to perform well and reach her goals.”
The 100 breast event field features 11 sub minute times. Southern California’s Rebecca Soni, the defending NCAA champion in the 100 and 200 breast, carries the top time into the event (58.10). The senior won the gold in the 200 breast and silver in the 100 breast at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Soni captured the event with a winning time of 59.19 last year.