After a combined total of six school records, one would think two runners had reached their limit. Not Liam Murphy and Marco Langon.
On Thursday, March 27, the fifth-year Villanova runner Murphy broke the NCAA record in the 1500 meter race at Raleigh Relays. Murphy’s time of 3:33.02 put him first among 207 athletes and set both a personal best and Villanova school record in the process.
“We weren’t even sure it was a collegiate record at the time because nobody announced it at the meet,” head coach Marcus O’Sullivan said.
Junior Marco Langon overpowered Virginia’s Gary Martin in the last lap to achieve second place. Nearly four-tenths of a second behind Murphy, Langon’s time of 3:33.38 helped him run the second-fastest NCAA time in the 1500 meters. Langon was able to accomplish a new lifetime best as well, because being in the collegiate record books was not enough for him.
“We were just excited for finishing one-two and getting the result we wanted,” Murphy said. “And the time was just a bonus because after we went into the race, we weren’t really focused on the time.”
The previous NCAA record was 3:33.74, set by Alabama’s Eliuf Kipsang in 2022. After last week’s race in Raleigh, Kipsang was knocked down to the No. 3 spot in the Division I record books.
“We didn’t know until maybe 30 minutes before the race how fast it was going to be paced,” Langon said. “We thought it was just going to be a slower race, where it’s just going to wait around and go for the win. We weren’t really rattled by it.”
Murphy and Langon’s aggressive competitiveness is nothing new to the team. The past few months, the runners have been neck and neck in every race they compete in together.
This one was a little different. Raleigh Relays was the first meet in which Murphy set an individual NCAA record.
“The fact is, at the 1,200, they were fast, but they weren’t that fast,” O’Sullivan said. “You couldn’t have predicted they were gonna run that fast from the pace that they were already going at.”
At Penn Relays 2024, Murphy and Langon, along with now-alum Sean Donahue and Charlie O’Donovan, broke the NCAA record in the 4xMile with a time of 15:51.91. This
accomplishment turned out to be the second-fastest time ever. The Wildcats brought yet another Penn Relay Wheel home to campus.
“This school is really built on a foundation of winning Penn Relay wheels, and that’s not all we want to be known for, but that’s something that we have to win,” Langon said. “It’s just expected from you, and it’s not really something you have to think about. It’s just that we go in there, and we give everything we have to impress the alumni and make our school look good.”
When Langon committed to Villanova, a large factor in his decision making process was his teammate and training partner Murphy.
Langon and Murphy both grew up in New Jersey and raced each other once in high school. Murphy is two years older, and since Langon’s sophomore year, has been an avid mentor for him.
“I remember when he won the state meet that I was at I was like, this is a kid who I want to be when I’m a senior,” Langon said. “I want to be just as good, if not better than him. When I chose to come here, he was a huge factor in that. From that day I committed, he’s been one of my best friends, and I look at him like a brother.”
Now both on the Main Line, the duo continues to out-pace each other in every meet, to the point where O’Sullivan has taken measures to prevent clashes and ensure they are in different heats if possible. Back in January at the Penn 10 Elite, Langon took a tumble at the finish to beat out Murphy in the mile.
“[Coach O’Sullivan] understands first-hand what it’s like to compete, all experiences being experienced,” Murphy said. “He already has felt that himself, and he knows what it’s like. I think that’s really cool because he’s been successful at every level, high school, college, all that stuff, so he’s professional. His wisdom, I think that’s my favorite part about him.”
With Murphy nearing the end of his final season of collegiate competition, he is hoping to go professional post-graduation. Both Wildcats are looking forward to the rest of the regular season together as well as championships, nationals and worlds.
“I think I’m trying to enjoy the little things more,” Murphy said. “Just appreciate the moments I have now to be on the team. It was just really special to see that I’ve accomplished pretty much all my goals and I’ve really gotten as much as I wanted to. I’ve made some really great friends, had some really amazing teammates along the way, and built some really great relationships that I will keep forever.”
