On Wednesday, May 23, 2018, Upper Dublin seniors Grace Murphy and Sabrina Taylor were recognized for committing to continue their track careers at the collegiate level. Check back to view photos of the event.
Grace Murphy – Widener University (Track)
Major: Nursing
Final list of colleges: Widener, University of Scranton
Reasons for choosing Widener: “Positive team atmosphere, reputation for my major”
What was the progression that led you to competing in track at the collegiate level? “I did not start thinking about playing until the beginning of my senior year. Since I am going DIII, my recruiting process was not as intense. My coach and I looked into the programs at a few of the schools I was applying to. The coach at Widener actually reached out to me, which – at the time – was not even a school on my list. After looking into it further and talking to the coach, I realized it was a perfect fit.”
Coach Matt Dwyer says: “Grace is a distance runner. Her specialty is the mile and two-mile. She came to us as a sophomore and didn’t really do a whole lot sophomore year. I don’t want to say she went unnoticed, but she was a little bit younger and inexperienced. Over the last two years, she’s emerged as a leader on the team. This year she was just a model of consistency for us. She went from borderline varsity last year to consummate varsity leader this year. You could always count on her to run a really strong 800, mile, two-mile and led our distance program all year. We have a very young distance squad, a lot of freshmen, and Grace was the leader of that squad.”
About Grace:
Favorite food: Cinnamon Buns
Favorite movie: The Blind Side
Favorite music: Bruno Mars
Sabrina Taylor – United States Air Force Academy (Track)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Air Force Academy, U.S. Military Academy (West Point), Naval Academy
Reasons for choosing Air Force: “I liked the values and the way the college was run and the benefits after. The Air Force branch proved to be the one most on par with my character.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in track at the collegiate level? “I went to the Air Force Academy Sports Camp summer of 2016 and met the coach. I was introduced to their practice styles. From then on, I kept in contact with the sprint coach, telling her my times and e-mailing her videos of my races. Shortly after hearing back from congressional nominations, I became a potential walk-on.”
Coach Matt Dwyer says: “Sabrina is a great kid. She’s really grown over the four years, from a freshman who didn’t really know the sport as well, but in her three years, she has developed into one of our key leaders and key contributors. She was captain of the team and someone we relied on week in and week out to lead the program. We had some really good athletes, and she’s a Division I talent, but also her integrity and her academic level is really impressive. To have the option to go to West Point or the Air Force Academy – she had the choice to go to either, and you don’t have too many kids who have that opportunity. Where she’s come from and where she’s at is really impressive. Every kid on the team looks to her for guidance. She’s an imposing figure – she’s tall, and she has a presence about her, but it’s not just the height, it’s her mannerisms, it’s her attitude, it’s the way she goes about her work. No one ever questions how hard she works at practice. The funny thing is – as a freshman and sophomore, she used to throw up every day at practice because she was kind of out of shape, but she would work herself into shape. You always knew she was giving everything she had, and that hasn’t changed, which is kind of cool to see.”
About Sabrina:
Favorite food: McDonald’s
Favorite movie: Love and Basketball
Favorite music: Country
- Log in to post comments
