Conrad Weiser’s Katelyn Murphy off to fast start after harsh ending last season

By  Julie Pelchar Cohen — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent

Katelyn Murphy suffered a sprinter’s worst nightmare on her sport’s biggest stage a year ago.

A false start ended her season and dashed her dreams in a blink.

“That took a toll mentally,” Murphy said.

After working through the initial disbelief, Murphy used the disappointment as a springboard to a senior season she is determined will be her best.

The Conrad Weiser hurdler and jumper showed her resiliency during Saturday’s Leonard Stephan Invitational at West Lawn. Murphy captured the 100 hurdles in 15.88 and finished second in the long jump.

“I went into today hoping for a good race,” she said. “I had a meet yesterday that was a little iffy. But I felt great today. I felt smooth.”

Wyomissing’s Addie Cohen led the rest of Berks athletes. She knocked seven seconds off a personal best to win the mile in 5:04.79.

Gov. Mifflin’s Kaitlyn Highduch was the only other Berks girl champion on the track with her 11:12.86 in the 3200.

The invitational featured schools from nearby counties.

Berks Catholic’s  Julia Rosenberger went 5-3 in the high jump and Wyomissing’ Emily Cassler 34-6 in the triple jump for Berks wins in the field.  

Murphy’s speedy start to the spring is atoning for the stinging end to her junior season. Her false start mishap came during a 100 hurdles semifinal at the District 3 championships.

 “It’s always disappointing to see something like that happen,” said Scouts coach Jasmine Butterworth. “You could see the disbelief on her face at first. But she came back this season with a purpose.”

Butterworth said Murphy took the misfire to heart.

The sting Murphy readily accepted from that deep cut could prove to be her best asset.

“I think one of her biggest strengths is how hard she is on herself,” Butterworth said. “She pushes herself to continue to be excellent. Even when she has a great day, she is  looking at how she can improve. She just really has that internal drive.”

Murphy is driven to continually lower her 100 hurdles times throughout the season.

“One of my main goals is to stay consistent with times,” Murphy said. “I only hit sub 16 halfway through the season last year and then after that I kept getting 16s. It was awful.”

She set a personal best with a 15.75 at the New Balance Pan-Ram Invitational earlier this month. She was about a tenth of a second slower Saturday, but a strong crosswind seemed to affect sprint times.

As Murphy hurdles toward her ultimate goal of advancing from the district meet to the PIAA championships she’ll also look for her first county title. She is the top returner in the 100 hurdles after finishing second last year.

“I think she’s off to a great start,” Butterworth said. “She has dedicated herself year round to the sport. She is just one of the most dedicated athletes. You can definitely tell her hard work is paying off.”