Murphy scores personal best, gears for national track meet

Track and field competition runs in the family for Christopher Murphy, who knew it would take his best performances to continue the family tradition on the collegiate level.

He aced it. 

Murphy, a sophomore at the University of New Orleans, notched his personal best during the 2023 Southland Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships recently at Memorial Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M-Commerce.

He had a leap of 7.69 in the long jump competition, which gave him a third-place finish in a pool of six competitors.

The transition has gone smoothly thus far, but it has been an adjustment for the Port Allen High School graduate, who won state championships while competing on the Pelican track squad.

 “It’s far more intense than what we see in high school,” Murphy said. “In college, you have competitors from other states and other countries, and they all train just as hard.”

The training has not been an adjustment for him. 

He and his sister Raven flourished in track and field events during their years at Port Allen High, where they followed in the footsteps of their parents, Chris and Quinn Murphy. 

Christopher has been involved in track and field in one way or another since his elementary years when he trained under Eddie Payne, whose name was synonymous with track and field programs throughout the Greater Baton Rouge region.

It will all help with his next goal – a berth in the National Championships this year in Austin. 

He considers Northwestern and Texas A&M-Commerce the toughest competitor for him and his fellow Privateers. 

“I think I have a pretty good chance of getting there,” Murphy said. 

While competition is tough, injuries have posed the biggest challenge.

He has battled sprains much of this season, but it’s the price of success, he said.

“You have to keep your mind on improvement,” Murphy said. 

The NCAA East Preliminary is set for May 24-27 at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla., while the NCAA Championships are set for June 7-10 in Austin, Texas at Mike A. Myers Stadium & Soccer Field.