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Alaina Murphy, Seymour

10/14/2009, 10:11am CDT
By Travis Wilson
Triple Play Triple Threat WisSport.net

Dennis Semrau Wissports.net



Alaina Murphy, Seymour, senior



Alaina Murphy has had a basketball in her hands for as long as she can remember.



When your father is Seymour boys basketball coach Jon Murphy, whose teams won WIAA Division 2 state championships in 2001 and 2006, that is a given.



But competing in distance running and track and field is a different story.



“I started running in sixth grade,” said Alaina Murphy, who is a three-time state qualifier in both cross country and track and field. “Cross country was the only school-sponsored sport you could do. So I decided to try it and was good at it.”



How good?



Her junior year, for example, Murphy finished eighth at the 2008 WIAA Division 2 state cross country meet.



She also competed at the 2009 WIAA Division 2 state track and field meet, finishing first in the 1,600-meter relay and third in the 400-meter dash.



“I didn’t know what I was doing at first but I was good at it and kept sticking with it,” Murphy said of her running career. “It’s also good conditioning for basketball.”



Murphy chuckled when she said her basketball career began “when I was born.” She also began competing in track in seventh grade.



On ‘track’ to complete high school as a 12-time letterwinner – four each in cross country, basketball and track and field – Murphy credits her father with encouraging her to become a three-sport high school student-athlete.



“My dad was my biggest influence. He coached me in youth basketball from second through eighth grade. He encourages all of his athletes to play as many sports as possible,” Aliana said. “He emphasizes how much it helps you.



“Basketball has always been my life. I love basketball and my dad has had such an impact on me as an athlete and a person. But I have his competitive drive. I hate to lose, just like him. He’s always encouraged me to have a passion for whatever I do.”



A team captain, Murphy is a three-time individual state qualifier and three-time first team all-conference runner in cross country.



She is a three-year starter in basketball at point guard, where she is a two-time all-conference honorable mention selection.



A three-time state qualifier in track, she has been on the podium as a medal winner four times, twice in the 1,660 relay and 400 dash.



Regardless of the sport, though, she believes they are intertwined when it comes to achieving success. Murphy said she believes that the more competitive situations that you place yourself in, the more successful you will be in life.



“In cross country, we haven’t had a lot of success but we try and we encourage each other. It’s more of an individual sport. Basketball relies more on teamwork,” she said.



“Track is a mixture of both. Our team’s been pretty successful. In the relays, it’s a team sport. But you also compete as an individual.”



Murphy said competing in multiple sports includes a lot of late nights after meets or games when there is always plenty of homework to do.



But she wouldn't change a thing.



“I think everyone should play as many sports as they can in high school,” said Murphy, who has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point-average in the classroom. “They teach you a lot about yourself and what your limits are mentally and physically.”



Murphy plans to continue her running career in college, where her academic interests include English and Art.



For now, though, she is looking forward to a busy and exhilarating senior year.



“You don’t know what you are going to be successful at unless you give everything a try,” she said. “If you specialize, you lose a lot of opportunities competing and meeting people. I wouldn’t change a thing.”



Time out with Alaina Murphy

1 – Words to live by: “The difference between impossible and possible lies within a person’s determination.”

2 – Role models: my parents, Jon and Lucy

3 -- My family also includes: my younger sister, Bridget, and younger brothers, Jack and Riley.

4 -- Favorite opponent: New London

5 -- Favorite movies: The Lion King; Goonies

6 – I wish I could compete in: gymnastics

7 – Favorite subject: English

8 – Favorite athlete: Tiger Woods

9 -- Dream date: Reggie Bush

10 – Favorite food: French toast


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