For The Tribune
Miranda Murphy hasn’t had the kind of track career at Trinity Lutheran High School that she was hoping for. She has been bothered by injuries the past two years.
Once she became 100 percent healthy, she ran both hurdles and the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. But this spring she suffered a hamstring injury early in the season and competed in the April meets on a limited basis. She said she likes to compete in four events, but she was limited to two or three events earlier this season.
Last spring she suffered a wrist injury when she fell warming up for a hurdle race and had to wear a cast when she competed in the sectional.
“My favorite event is the 300 hurdles,” she said. “It’s an endurance race, and I’m pretty good at it. My best time is a 52 (seconds). My favorite lane is 3. In the 300 hurdles, you start on the turn and then run the straightaway before you have another turn.
“I always lead with my right leg. It’s 18 to 20 steps between them. You just run as hard as you can in between and then just glide the hurdles. The curves are different because you’re jumping a hurdle on the turn, then when you get to the straightaway, you have three more hurdles left and you’ve just got to put it all out there.”
Murphy said when she began running the highs her freshman year, she found it to be a mental as well as a physical challenge.
“It was kind of like a mental thing,” she said. “You might start to get worn out toward the end, and you’ve just got to keep pushing.
“I pretty much had to push myself because they needed hurdlers because Jackie Bell had graduated. Then we had coach Kim Overgaard, and he taught me to jump over them, but after that I pretty much coached myself.”
In the high hurdles, Murphy takes five steps.
When she doesn’t have a meet, Murphy changes things up at practice.
“I set up five hurdles in a row at that height and do different drills to warm up for the race,” Murphy said. “When I get to a meet, I’ll run one lap to get loosened up.”
She was running the 4×100 relay early in the season when she suffered her leg injury.
Murphy described the relays as, “Intense. It depends on the first person, and I’m the last runner. It’s definitely a lot of pressure, but its fun.” She said she tries to run a 1:12 split in the 4×400 relay.
Murphy helped the 4×100 relay team set the school record and qualify for the regional last year, and she received the most valuable person award at the awards banquet.
Murphy began her basketball career while at student at Immanuel Lutheran, but she didn’t begin running track until her freshman year.
She enjoyed playing basketball. She was a forward and contributed shooting and rebounding. The senior said in Trinity’s half-court offense she liked to post up near the lane.
“I liked shooting from the elbow, from 15 feet,” Murphy said. “I was not big on the 3-pointers. I like driving and getting to the free-throw line. (On defense) I liked playing man. It gave you a challenge staying with a player.
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Name: Miranda Murphy
School: Trinity Lutheran
Parents: Todd and Patty Murphy
Siblings: Nathan
Sports: Basketball, four years; track and field, four years
Athletics honors: Track:2015 most improved award, set school record and regional qualifier in 4×100 relay; basketbal: sectional champions 2013, 2014
Organizations: Student ambassadors, FFA, 4-H, Emanuel Youth Group
Plans after high school: Attend IUPUC for accounting
Favorite food: French fries
Favorite movie: “The Bachelor”
Favorite singer: Thomas Rhett
Favorite movie: “Hoosiers”
Favorite team: Indiana Pacers
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Q: What’s it like attending TLHS?
A: “I’ve enjoyed it here. My coaches have helped me a lot.”
Q: What’s one of your fondest athletics memories?
A: “Probably our sectional basketball games. We won the sectional in 2013 and 2014. In track it would be setting the record last year and qualifying for the regional.”
Q: What games did you look forward to most on the basketball schedule?
A: “I liked the home games. My favorite away gym was West Washington. I’m glad I played basketball.
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