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4. The Battle Of New Jersey: A Race For The Ages Featuring Liam Murphy And Devin Hart
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New Jersey MileSplit's Jim Lambert called it the "Greatest 3200m Race in NJ History."
Who better to describe it then:
By Jim Lambert
Liam Murphy of Allentown HS and Devin Hart of Pt. Pleasant Boro waged a battle for the ages and put an exclamation point on their electrifying showdown with an epic finish that produced two of the fastest 3200 meter times in New Jersey history at Saturday's 51st NJSIAA Meet of Champions.
The two distance running stars, well under nine minute pace the whole race, traded big surges and exchanged the lead multiple times as they threw everything they had at each other over the final three laps at the Bennett Center in Toms River.
Then on the final lap, with the crowd roaring louder and louder with each stride they took, Hart, the defending champion, made a big push to slightly increase his lead and it looked like he might hold off Murphy and retain his title.
But Murphy, a junior, was able to dig down deep one more time and find one more gear, which enabled him to pull even with Hart about 10 meters from the finish. And then with one final burst, Murphy edged past Hart just a couple strides before the line to score the monumental upset victory, sending spectators into a frenzy.
And check out the mind-numbing times they ran!
Murphy crossed the line in 8:54.22! That shattered the meet record, is No. 2 all-time in N.J. indoor history, and No. 1 in the nation this season. Hart was second in 8:54.45! That's No. 3 in N.J. indoor history, and No. 2 in the nation this season.
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