MARION — In his first year of running track at Pleasant, senior Sean Murphy became a champion. Not bad for a rookie.
He won the boys 400 meters during the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships during the running finals on May 15, clocking 50.26 seconds in Harding Stadium. He took third in the 200 in 23.21 and helped anchor the 4×400 relay team to a runner-up spot in 3 minutes, 29.72 seconds.
Murphy spent previous springs working on his craft in wrestling, which kept him away from the oval. With wrestling behind him now, he felt free to try running track.
“I definitely wanted to keep wrestling for sure. Making the state (in wrestling this winter for the first time) was really awesome. I loved it. I love wrestling, but this is awesome, too,” he said. “I was looking at times (last year), and I was like, ‘Man, I can run that. I can do that. I’ve got to come out here and do it,'” he said.
He showed he belonged with the best in track this week at the MOAC meet, putting together three all-league finishes. Now his attention turns to next week’s district meet where he and the rest of the Pleasant boys will compete in Division II at River Valley.
“Confidence is through the roof. I’ve just got to tweak little things because I lack experience, but I’m putting in the work,” he said.
Price sisters dominate distance races
Lydia Price showed she’s rounding back into shape after missing three weeks of the regular season with a back injury. The Marion Harding junior defended her girls 3200-meter MOAC title, winning it again with an 11:57.21.
Meanwhile, twin sister Leah Price won the 1600 in 5:19.63 and was a runner-up in the 800 in 2:25.02 and the 3200 in 12:19.42. On Tuesday, Leah also was second in the high jump at 5 feet.
“I’m still not in my best shape. I was lucky. They were probably tired from the mile and Leah from the 800,” Lydia said of her victory. “I was able to pull away. I do better at the longer distances.”
It was the first truly hot day of the season for the competitors with temperatures in the 80s, and that affected the times, especially in the longest race. At last year’s MOAC meet, Lydia won the 3200 in 11:18.46 and the 1600 in 5:17.47.
“The heat was definitely a factor that did not help. I’m really excited I got that (1600 win). I didn’t think I was going to get it,” Leah said. “I was hoping I would get at least one first place, but I was glad I was able to follow with three other second places.
While the two ran against each other Thursday evening in the two longest events with Lydia taking fourth in the 1600 in 5:36.56, there is no hint of a sibling rivalry.
“It was really nice that we were able to get the one-mile and two-mile. I’m really glad that she got it,” Leah said. “I’ve been hoping I would get first place, and Lydia was out for a while injured, but she made a really good comeback at this race. It was definitely her race to do it in the two-mile.”
Added Lydia: “It’s really cool. Those go together. I knew she would probably win the mile because she’s better at that one than I am. I was happy to win one.”
Other All-MOAC performers
The top three finishers in every event earned all-league honors. Winners get first team; runners-up get second team; and third-place finishers get honorable mention.
Ending as a runner-up from the Marion area on Thursday were Pleasant’s Taydon Obenour in the girls 100 hurdles at 16.59, Highland’s Owen Winkelfoos in the boys 1600 at 4:38.83, Pleasant’s Will Lichtenberger in the boys 400 at 52.12, Pleasant’s Sarah Jordan in the girls 300 hurdles at 49.79, Highland’s Toby Rogers in the boys 300 hurdles at 41.86, Pleasant’s Elijah McGinniss in the boys 800 at 2:00.03 and Highland’s Matthew Miller in the boys 3200 at 10:41.61.
Taking third from the area were Rogers in the boys 110 hurdles at 16.55, the Marion Harding boys 4×200 team at 1:33.53, Harding’s Jaidin Ramirez in the boys 1600 at 4:39.68 and 3200 at 11:00.91, the Harding girls 4×100 team at 50.91, Highland’s Kameron Stover in the girls 400 at 1:00.05, Obernour in the 300 hurdles at 52.05, Harding’s Sebastian Swihart in the boys 800 at 2:03.84, Highland in the girls 4×400 relay in 4:21.25 and Highland’s boys 4×400 unit in 3:40.44.
Ontario won the boys team title with 163 points as Clear Fork was second with 106 points. Highland was fourth, Pleasant fifth, Harding sixth and River Valley eighth. Shelby won the girls team crown with 162 points as Ontario was runner-up with 112 points. Harding was third with 99 followed by Highland in fifth, RV in sixth and Pleasant in seventh.
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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Pleasant’s Sean Murphy wrestles away a championship from the competition at the MOAC meet
Reporting by Rob McCurdy, Marion Star / Marion Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
