NJ's Murphy And Dolan Take Down Villanova Records

The Jersey boys from Villanova put on a sizzling show at the Penn State National Open on Friday at the Horace Ashenfelter III Track in University Park, Pa.

Liam Murphy, Sean Dolan, and Marco Langon blew up the oval with electrifying performances for the Wildcats.

Murphy, a red shirt junior who graduated from Allentown High School in 2020, and Dolan, a red shirt senior who graduated from Hopewell Valley in 2019, both took down Villanova school records.  

The biggest bomb was dropped by Murphy (pictured above), who  threw down a 3:53.85 victory in the mile, which broke a Villanova indoor record that had stood for nearly 44 years, and broke Murphy's own facility and meet record! 

Murphy broke Don Paige's Villanova's indoor mile record of 3:54.22 that was set way back in 1980!! Paige ran that 3:54.22 when he placed second at the Brooks Invitational on Feb. 16, 1980 at the Houston Astrodome. Paige was outleaned by Steve Scott, who ran 3:54.20.The 3:53.85 by Murphy is the third fastest time ever for a Villanova runner on U.S. soil (indoors and outdoors combined) during their collegiate careers, and it makes him the 15th fastest miler in NCAA indoor history!!

That's not all.

Murphy is now the fourth fastest miler in NJ history (indoors and outdoors combined). Only Edward Cheserek (3:49.44), Marty Liquori (3:52.2), and Robby Andrews (3:53.16) have run faster than Murphy among runners who graduated from high school in N.J. The full list of NJ sub 4 milers in down below.

Murphy, whose broke the meet and facility record of 3:55.58 that he ran last Jan. 27, split 59.66, 1:59.67, 2:59.49, and then he closed in 54.37 as he rallied past Parker Wolfe of North Carolina, who was second in 3:55.09.

Langon, a red shirt freshman at Nova who graduated from Bridgewater-Raritan in 2022, was fourth in the mile with a PR of 3:56.24, No. 6 all-time in Villanova indoor history. It's Langon's third time under 4!!!  

A little less than two hours after Murphy's historic performance, Dolan became the Wildcats first athlete ever to break 1:47 indoors in the 800 when he ran 1:46.96 to finish third. Dolan broke his own school record of 1:47.53 that he ran to finish first at the 2022 BIG EAST Championships. 

Nova now has three Sub 4 milers on its roster who are from NJ-Murphy, Langon, and Dolan!!! Can't wait to see that 4xmile at the Penn Relays in a few months when Nova defends their title!!! Get ur Franklin Field on!!!