“We’ve got our eyes on nationals.”  

Buena Vista University (BVU) Head Track and Field Coach Colt Slack has high hopes for freshman sensation Max Murphy.  

Murphy is a freshman from Sioux City, Iowa. The sports management major received the chance from Sergeant Bluff High School to run for Coach Slack and the beavers starting this 2020 season. Murphy received multiple offers throughout high school to compete at a higher level such as Division 2 and historic NAIA programs, but felt there was something different about Buena Vista.  

“Coach Slack was one of the main reasons I decided to attend Buena Vista,” said Murphy. “He was one of the few coaches who made an impression on me throughout the process making me feel like he would take good care of me.” 

Murphy also emphasized the facilities.  

“The facilities here are top notch compared to numerous of other schools I visited. I felt like I could compete to the best of my ability here compared to any other school.” 

Murphy ranks 10th nationally as of now, and already raised up to second in school history for the fastest 60-meter hurdle. These numbers are ridiculous considering the team hasn’t competed in one outdoor meet yet. Coach Slack remained extremely excited about his potential and the things he could accomplish at Buena Vista. Murphy may only be a freshman, but he raises the bar for expectations. 

 “I want to see a picture of myself with the school record inside the Rec someday. I hope Coach Slack gets to see my face everyday and remember my success here.” Sarcastically joking around, Murphy and Slack have already built a strong relationship. 

Slack joked around mentioning Murphy’s tendency to walk around like a duck. However, he believes Murphy is the fastest duck he knows.  

Recently, Murphy came off a fifth-place finish at South Dakota University running a time of 8.40 in the 60-meter hurdles. For competing against D2 and D1 schools, Murphy felt good about himself but wasn’t satisfied. Coming off an ankle muscle strain in his two weeks ago, Murphy is taking rehab extremely cautious making sure he will be ready for outdoor season.  

According to Slack, they are taking it day by day to make sure Murphy is recovering well and training to the best of his ability. 

“We have high hopes for him but taking everything under a process. We want his best results and know still more work needs to be done.”  

Running an 8.40 is outstanding for most runners, but Murphy wants to reach the level where he attained before. This includes his 8.18 time in the 60-meter hurdles climbing the leaderboards in Buena Vista history. It will be interesting to keep an eye on this freshman phenom as they approach nationals on March 13th and 14th in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 

Murphy and the team would love to see everyone show up on March 28th here at Buena Vista to catch the beavers in their first outdoor meet of the season. After a dazzling start to his indoor season, Murphy attempts to make his mark in Beaver history leaving a legacy on the future of the track program.