JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — First Coast News recently caught up with Julia Murphy, the "silent but deadly" senior swimmer and Virginia Tech commit, who made a profound statement by setting four school records in a single day.
Julia Murphy, reflecting on her achievements, listed the remarkable records: "200 free-style relay, 100 butterfly, 200 medley relay, and our 400 free-style relay." Murphy, who has been part of the Bolles Bulldogs since Pre-K, has a deep connection with swimming, starting at the age of three in her backyard pool.
"Despite her reserved nature, Murphy's competitive spirit and unspoken dedication have always been evident," Bolles head swim coach Peter Verhoef said. "She might be really quiet, but she is very competitive. There's a really hot fire that burns in her."
Even her first swim coach, Julia Czentye, reminisced about Murphy's silent yet lovable demeanor: "She was so lovable but would never talk."
"For Murphy, swimming has been a constant in her life," a sentiment she expressed when discussing the multiple school records set by her and her teammates. "By the end of the day, we were all pretty tired. It was the last race of the day. Just to end on such a high note during my last high school meet ever was such an amazing feeling."
Looking ahead, Murphy, a Virginia Tech commit, is set to continue her swimming journey as a Fighting Hokie with her first-ever swim coach, Julia Czentye, expressing pride in Murphy's success.
"She was little juju, I was big juju. I can't believe she's off to college and all the success she's had here," Czentye said.
Bolles anticipates Murphy's continued success and contributions to swimming, both at the collegiate level and in making her alma mater proud.