PHILADELPHIA – With the opportunity for a three-peat in the 4xMile on the line at the 2025 Penn Relays, graduate Liam Murphy grabbed the baton from junior Marco Langon in the pouring rain.
The duo holds the two fastest 1500-meter times in college history, with Murphy holding the record of 3:33.02.
With the baton in hand, in front of Murphy were four laps for it all.
Murphy, in his final Penn Relays as a Wildcat, led for the first 1,400 meters of his leg as he held off Washington’s Ronan McMahon-Staggs and North Carolina’s Ethan Strand.
On the final turn, Murphy was overtaken by the two who made their moves to the front.
Despite a final kick on the 50-meter straightaway and a 4:08.97 mile, Murphy was only able to pass Strand, and Villanova finished second behind the elite Washington squad.
“I mean, coming up with 200 meters to go, I just get flashbacks to like every single Penn Relay race,” Murphy said. I could just see it all played out right in front of me, right before it happened. And then you see them make that move and it’s just back to last year, when I won and then two years ago, when I lost Adam Spencer, just see it all unfolding right at you, and you only have so fast to react to it.”
Villanova finished the race in a time of 16:24.92, behind Washington’s time of 16:24.61. Last year, Villanova set the 4xMile college record and the second-fastest time in world history with a 15:51.91.
Senior Devon Comber (4:09.36) and sophomore Bailey Habler (4:06.16) ran leg one and leg two of the relay, respectively.
“It’s either you win or you get nothing, like no one cares about second,” Murphy said. “You won’t even remember in three years who got second or third. Yeah, it’s just first or nothing. We’ve been on the other end of winning both of them last year, and now we’re on the end of getting nothing.”
Only 0.31 seconds was the difference between “first or nothing.” It is also the difference between raising the symbolic Penn Relay wheel, which is given to the winning team of each relay.
While Murphy anchored the relay, Langon was the one who put Villanova in the position to win it. Langon covered the third leg of the relay in 4:00.44. It was the fastest mile split of the entire 4xMile field. The rising star of the program still felt like he could have performed better as he passed the baton on to Murphy.
“I didn’t put [the baton] in the right spot for [Murphy],” Langon said. I wanted to be in second. I know I wanted to try to give [Murphy] four seconds away from [Washington]. But really didn’t do that well, neither us or UNC got the wheel.”
It is a common theme for the Villanova track and field athletes to take accountability and hold themselves to a higher standard. There is always a drive to accomplish more. It is a drive you cannot teach.
“I think we put everything into this relay, and at the end of the day, we just came up a little short,” Langon said. “And that isn’t one person’s fault.”
Villanova’s name is plastered all over the Penn Relay history book, from mile records, 5K and relay records. The program possesses a deep history, rooted in tradition.
“When you have such a great group of alumni and you look at your school records every morning before you go into practice, it’s kind of hard not to be motivated,” Langon said. “I really do believe we have two of the best coaches in the world. You’re able to just be in such a good environment with people that really feel like you’re brothers and care more about what you do off the track rather than on the track.”
With the 2025 Penn Relays behind them, Murphy, Langon, Comber and Habler look ahead to the rest of the outdoor season, including the fast-approaching Big East Championships in Connecticut and the NCAA Championships in Oregon.
