Liam Murphy earns the highest honor that the @bigeast bestows on individual student-athletes and is the 2024-25 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year! He is the seventh Villanova winner of this honor and the third from track & field/cross country! 🔵⚪️
✍️Earlier today, Liam Murphy announced that he has signed with Nike and will join Swoosh Track Club in Flagstaff.
Thus, he will join Parker Wolfe and Ethan Strand as the team's newest signees. Murphy will train under coach Mike Smith.
Murphy currently has personal bests of 13:10 (5K), 7:35 (3K) and he is the NCAA 1500m Record Holder with his 3:33.02 1500m PR.
He is currently slated to race at the USA Track And Field Championships next weekend.
📸Getty
Liam Murphy is headed to the next level. ✍️
The Villanova standout and NCAA 1500m record holder (3:33.02) has signed a professional contract with @nikerunning and will join Swoosh TC in Flagstaff, Arizona — where he’ll train under coach Mike Smith.
Murphy leaves behind an incredible collegiate resume and brings serious momentum with personal bests of 13:10.42 in the 5000m and 7:35.47 in the 3000m.
He’ll be joining an elite distance crew that includes NCAA mile record holder Ethan Strand and 5000m champion Parker Wolfe — making Swoosh TC one of the most stacked young squads in the game.
✍️ NCAA 1500m record holder @liam.murphy_ has signed a professional contract with @nikerunning and will join the Swoosh TC group in Flagstaff under @coach_mike_smith .
In his final year at @villanovaxctf , he finished 9th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and then went on to run personal bests and school records of 13:10.42 for the 5000m (No. 9 on the NCAA indoor list) and 7:35.47 for the 3000m (No. 4 on the NCAA indoor list). He opened up the outdoor season with a 3:33.02 to break the late Eliud Kipsang’s 3:33.74 collegiate record.
🗣️ “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to compete professionally with Nike and Coach Smith,” Murphy told CITIUS MAG. “I owe a huge thank you to my two coaches at Villanova and every teammate who’s helped me get to this point. I’m excited for the journey ahead and can’t wait to get started.”
Murphy is just the latest NCAA star to sign with Nike and join Smith’s training group. He’ll be training alongside NCAA mile record holder @ethan_strand and 2024 NCAA 5000m champion @parkerw19 in Arizona.
He will make his professional debut next week in the 1500m at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Last year, he reached the finals of the U.S. Olympic Trials.
📸 @aaronlaserna
🥇Liam Murphy (1500m)
RECORD TIED! @liam.murphy_ wins his 12th career @BIGEAST gold medal to tie the Villanova all-time men’s record held by Martin Booker (1983-86). It is also the second straight 1500m title for Murphy! #BIGEASTtrack #GoNova 🔵⚪️✌️
🔥Spicy last 300m from Liam Murphy to Win the BIG EAST 1500m.
He goes 3:44.58 to defend his BIG EAST Title. His last 400m was a 53.02 💥
Stream the #BigEast Championship LIVE on FloTrack
Program history for @liam.murphy_ as he becomes the 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝑽𝑼 𝒎𝒆𝒏'𝒔 𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 named to the Watch List for The Bowerman! Read more about Thursday's historic announcement at the link in our bio! @ustfccca #thebowerman #gonova
Nothing quite like the disappointment that comes with athletics, but it’s because of those moments that remind me the importance of perseverance.
Piece by piece.
#333
IT’S OUTDOOR SEASON NOW 💥
@villanovaxctf ’s @liam.murphy_ starts the 2025 outdoor campaign by breaking the NCAA men’s 1500m record in 3:33.02 at the Raleigh Relays.
Teammate @marcolangon finishes right behind him in 3:33.38 to move to No. 2 all-time. @uvatfcc ’s @gary.martin20 takes third in 3:33.71 to also dip under the previous record of 3:33.74 by Eliud Kipsang from 2022.
Murphy closed his final lap in 54.18s. Also took down Sydney Maree’s 3:35.30 school record, which stood since 1981.
📸 @elijahagurs
All-time 3k marks for @villanovaxctf ❕
@liam.murphy_ posted a 7:35.47 at the 2025 Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White Invitational, ranking NCAA #4 all-time, while @marcolangon followed closely with a 7:36.87, securing the NCAA #6 spot all-time 😳
Talk about RANGE📏
@villanovaxctf ’s @liam.murphy_ caps off his 2024 with a huge PB of 13:10.42 in the 5000m at BU. He moves up to No. 6 on the NCAA all-time indoor list. Only Nico Young, Graham Blanks, Ky Robinson, Lawi Lalang and Adriaan Wildschutt have run faster.
This performance closes out a year where Murphy also made the Olympic Trials final in the 1500m and finished 9th over 10K at the NCAA Cross Country Championships last month.
📸 @austin.desisto
