Undefeated finalist

Midway through her sophomore season, Maria Murphy thought she might have a chance to be a pretty good thrower.
At the regional meet, she proved as much to herself with a second-place finish to earn a trip to the state finals.
In that meet in Bloomington, she realized what it takes to be one of the best in the Indiana.
And then she got to work.
Murphy, a Jay County High School junior, has seen that year of preparation pay off as she carries an undefeated record in the discus into Saturday’s state meet. She will compete at the IHSAA Girls Track and Field State Finals beginning at 3:30 p.m. with hopes of reaching a career-best distance — perhaps a school record — and bringing home a state medal.
“I don’t even know,” said Murphy, who finished 26th out of 27 competitors at last season’s state finals, of the possibility of reaching the medal stand. “That would be indescribable. I’d go crazy.”
After making the trip to the state finals as sophomore, realizing she had a chance to be one of Indiana’s elite and seeing the opportunity for a college career, Murphy has put in the effort to make those goals a reality.
Through the summer and fall, with track season far in the distance, she’d spend time practicing at home, Bloomfield Elementary School or JCHS. In September she was calling assistant coach Kerri (McClung) George, a two-time shot put state champion for the Patriots who went on to throw for Bowling Green State University, already excited to prepare for the season to come.
She’s refined her technique, improved her speed through the circle and increased her strength.  
And if she’s unhappy with the way things go at practice after school, she’s been known to pick up the discus at home and work until she gets it right.
“I don’t know if you can say enough about it,” said George. “When she saw (the state finals) last year and kind of got a taste of it … that changed her entire work ethic.
“She was thinking track six months before track was supposed to start. She’s working incredibly hard. … It’s a good mentality to have. …. She’s definitely someone who understands, ‘If I do this, that will happen.’ She understands the equation.”
The work resulted in a season in which Murphy enters the state finals undefeated, and, mostly, unchallenged.
She rolled through a perfect regular season, her best throw coming at 127 feet, 2 inches at the Blackford Invitational. In the sectional meet, a toss of 116 feet, 9 inches won her the championship by nearly 10 feet over Union’s Marie Lumpkin.
The junior faced plenty of competition at the Ben Davis regional, but rose above it all. She set the bar with her first throw of 126 feet, 2½ inches and led wire-to-wire en route to the becoming the school’s first regional champion in girls track in more than a decade.
“You would think when you go (to state) as a sophomore you would be back every year, but when you go and look at results it’s not that way at all,” said JCHS coach Brian McEvoy. “Very few girls are able to go back … especially with the toughness of our regional. To be undefeated at this point in time … is a huge accomplishment.”
It’s one that, more than a week after a convincing win at the regional, still seems to have Murphy stunned.
“It’s pretty overwhelming,” she said. “The word undefeated, it means a lot. But to go into state undefeated means a whole different thing. … That’s just huge. It’s … rewarding, knowing that I worked so hard and it’s paid off.”
Saturday’s competition will give Murphy a chance to measure herself against the best the state as to offer and see just how far she has come.
For the first time all season, she’s not seeded at or near the top of the field. Instead, she’s in the middle of the pack — 13th out of 27 athletes — and will throw in the third of four flights.
Although two-time defending champion Tori Bliss of Portage returns as a heavy favorite to repeat, she is one of only two medalists back from 2010. The field is fairly wide open, with Murphy’s regional toss putting her just over 3 feet behind ninth-seeded Michaela Hull (129 feet, 5 inches) of Bloomington South — the top nine finishers in each event earn state medals — and less than 5 feet behind No. 6 seed Chelsie Meeks (131 feet) of Resselaer Central.
Murphy said her goal is to reach the 130-foot mark, and possibly break the school record of 130 feet, 7 inches set by Carla Miller in 1982. Reaching those numbers would give her a chance to stand on the podium.
“That would be huge,” said McEvoy. “Is it possible? Absolutely.”
Added George: “Hopefully she goes down to the state meet and can get some recognition. … It’s going to be awesome. I’m excited.”
“She’s fun to be around … And that makes it rewarding for anybody who works with her.”[[In-content Ad]]