As the quest for a winning NCAA basketball tournament bracket takes place in office pools across the country, a Colgate senior is making a splash of her own.
Emily Murphy will be swimming at this weekend's NCAA championship meet at Texas A&M, making her the first Colgate woman swimmer to compete at the Division I championships.
The senior, from Camillus, N.Y., was the subject of a lengthy profile in The Post-Standard (Syracuse).
Murphy qualified for the 100-meter breaststroke with a career-best time of 1 minute, 0.86 seconds during a "last chance" meet in Georgia at the end of February. That slots her 29th in a field of 39 at the NCAAs.
She will swim Friday morning, with an immediate goal of earning a spot among the top 16 swimmers called back for that evening's finals and consolation heats.
"I'm excited to get there and swim," Murphy told the newspaper. "I've had the best year of my swimming career."
Murphy heads to College Station looking to become the first Raider to gain All American honors. The top eight in each event will receive All-American accolades, while the second eight garner honorable mention honors.
Colgate head coach Stephen Jungbluth believes a top-16 effort from his veteran is definitely within reach.
"Back when she was in high school, Emily came to our Elite Swim Camp and I remember speaking with the other coaches about her," said Jungbluth. "We all agreed that she had the tools to compete at the NCAA championships."
Murphy was a big part of the Colgate women's swimming and diving team that won its second consecutive Patriot League Championship in February.
The team set a slew of school, pool, and league records in securing the title. Murphy, Erin McGraw '11, Ashley Bottger '09, Caren Guyett '11 and the Raiders' 400 free relay each captured league titles in the final day of competition.
Jungbluth was honored as the league's women's coach of the year.
Here is more information about Murphy and the team.