State sophomore

A year ago, Maria Murphy considered herself just a "little, baby freshman". Now she'll be competing on her sport's biggest stage.

The Jay County High School sophomore, thanks to her regional runner-up finish last week, will compete in the discus Friday at 3 p.m. in the IHSAA Track and Field State Finals at Indiana University.

"It's crazy," said Murphy after practice Tuesday at JCHS. "I feel lucky to even be going, but as a sophomore, it's unbelievable. I'm still getting used to it."

Murphy will throw in the middle of the opening flight in the discus Friday as she is seeded 23rd out of 27 competitors based on regional results. And while a trip to the finals and a state medal is unlikely - only the top 10 reach the finals, and the No. 10 seed is Southridge's Cassie Wertman at 127 feet, 3 inches - she still hopes to come away with a victory.

She said her goal for the meet is to throw at least 115 feet and to try to win her flight, in which the top thrower is East Central's Jordan Roell at 117 feet, 10 ½ inches.

"I think that would be a realistic goal for her," said JCHS coach Brian McEvoy of Murphy, whose regional throw of 113 feet, 1 inch was a career-best. "Really what she needs to do is go in there and just relax in this situation ... and really just has to approach this like a typical meet for us. ...

"She just needs to go in there and do her job, and her job right now is to throw the disc 115 to 120."

The tournament season started with a bit of disappointment for Murphy, who had hoped to win sectional titles in both the discus and shot put. She qualified for the regional in both events, but had to settle for third- and second-place finishes respectively.

But everything turned around at the regional meet at Ben Davis, where she was seeded seventh for both events. The sophomore was on top of her game from the start, launching her first attempt in the discus a career-record 113 feet, 1 inch. That number was good enough to earn her second place behind Lawrence Central's Taja Moore, who is seeded second for the state finals.

She also set new career marks twice in the shot put in earning a sixth-place finish.

"I think it's a good sign," said McEvoy. "That's a pressure-packed regional. She has thrown against some of the better competition. I don't think that part is going to bug her. If I was going to name one girl on the team who it was going to bug the least, it would probably be Maria. I don't think the bigness of it is going to phase her too much."

Murphy also had great success at the regional meet last season, finishing fourth despite entering as the No. 9 seed. She said that effort helped prove to herself that she had real potential in track and field, and led to added commitment.

"I've been more serious about it," said Murphy. "Last year I was serious about it, but I think I actually realized I could go somewhere doing this ... And then Kerri (George) has helped so much it's ridiculous."

Kerri George is the last JCHS thrower to reach the state finals, and she did so with great success.

She was a two-time state champion and two-time state runner-up in the shot put, and then continued her career at Bowling Green State University. She holds the Falcons' record in the shot put, won Mid-American Conference titles in the shot put in 2003 (indoor) and 2005 (outdoor) and finished 20th in the nation in 2005.

George has been working with the JCHS throwers once a week throughout the season as a volunteer coach, and has spent more time with Murphy during the last several weeks. They have worked on the little things - controlled speed, keeping her left foot down and staying on the balls of her feet.

"Technically, she's improved a lot," said George, noting that Murphy led drills during practice when she wasn't there. "She's a kid who did what you asked her to do ... and it's not hard to work with somebody like that. ... The technical part of it ... her consistency across the course of the season ... that's where she's improved the most."

The state finals will represent a big jump in level of competition after Moore was the only athlete at the Ben Davis regional to record a throw of more than 115 feet. The state field has five who have cleared the 130-foot mark, and each of the top 18 competitors threw at least 120 feet in regional competition.

"Everybody says it's really big," said Murphy. "I don't know what to think, because I've never really been to a big track meet before ... Regional is the biggest event I've been to.

"I'm going to see so many people that are better than me. ... There's going to be a lot of girls that are going to be really good."

McEvoy and George both said they hope Murphy can use the meet as a learning experience for her next two seasons, and beyond. She is one of just five sophomores to make the state finals in the discus, and seven of the top nine seeds are seniors.

"It's an experience thing for her to go down there and see some good throwers ... and see what she's got to work toward," said George. "There is nothing like that level of competition.[[In-content Ad]]